


The Lost Sun

by cc12313



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-15
Updated: 2015-12-09
Packaged: 2018-04-21 00:22:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 37,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4807796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cc12313/pseuds/cc12313
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matska Belmonde fell in love with a maid at Lilita Morgan's mansion many years ago and the two began a secret affair. Neither were willing to change their ways or morals and so their affair came to an end. Follow their journey as they spend years apart and meeting once again. (Magical being Perry). Disclaimer inside.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Break Up

**Author's Note:**

> The idea from this story belongs to Boss at Simgm. It's entirely herr idea and she has graciously left me ruin her head cannon.

**1635, The Dean’s Mansion, Austria**

She held the jug of blood in her hand, standing behind Lilita Morgan, who was sitting at the table’s high chair, waiting to be directed to pour another glass.

Hearty laughter rang around the table coming from each occupant. The table was full of Lilita’s people, vampires.

It didn’t so much terrify her anymore but disgust her. She would have to listen as they would recount tales of villages they demolished and hear their descriptions of the most vile and gruesome killing’s they committed that month, innocent lives were just one big game to these monsters.

The only reason she wasn’t killed by any of these creatures was because she was part of the Morgan household, part of the help per se. She was Lilita’s property, they wouldn’t dare place a finger on her if they valued their immortal life. The fact still remained, she was a human, like many of the help in the mansion, standing at a table full of blood sucking vampires. She would have felt safer with a rapier pressed against her throat.

Lilita clicked her fingers signalling for her to pour her master another drink. She stepped forward and brought the spout of the jug next to the silver goblet, tipping the jug forward and relinquishing a quarter cup full of the thick red liquid.

“My apologies Master, I will return within a moment with a full jug.” She turned to step away from the table when a hand caught her wrist, squeezing tightly.

“You should have made sure of that after you poured the last round, you belligerent fool.” Lilita snarled, pushing her away toward the kitchen as laughter rang out at the expense of her mistake.

She put the jug on the kitchen table and took a moment to collect herself. The kitchen was her domain. Lilita never entered here and if it wasn’t for the other vampire, who also resided in the house, pass through on a daily basis, she could swear the kitchen was cursed.

Speaking of said vampire, arms circled her waist and a face buried in her neck, inhaling her scent. She leaned back in the comforting embrace, her lover’s arms acting as a safe cocoon for her, it was soothing. She had just began working at the Morgan household when she first met Matska Belmonde. She was never to speak unless spoken too or asked a direct question but she couldn’t help but bite bark a sarcastic remark when Matska would throw a verbal insult her way every once in a while. Those remarks had gotten her punished, she ended up having to act as a personal maid for Matska, to make up for her behavior, for two months.

Those two months had started with Matska embarrassing her in every which way she could. She wasn’t stupid, she quickly came to the conclusion that Matska was trying to draw her out but she couldn’t figure out whatever for.

She didn’t care so much for reason anymore after Matska had made her go shoveling through pig’s manure, one day, because she thought she had lost a piece of jewellery only for it to reappear in the vampire’s hand when she was covered up to her neck in muck.

She snapped and unleashed a verbal assault on the woman before her. She remembered how she clenched her fists afterwards, muck squishing together in her palms, and watched how Matska, at first, broke out into a grin and then full on laughter telling the girl she missed their spats.

She remembered how she scooped the dung off her arms, making it into a ball and flung it at Matska, laughing out loud at the woman’s shocked expression. The vampire instantly became cold after that and hurried off back to the mansion. When she went to go check on her, she found her in the wash room scrubbing her skin, even though the dung had hit only her dress, as if getting out spots that were invisible to the naked eye.

She recalled how she stood there hypnotized by the sight in front of her. Matska had her back to her and she couldn’t help admire the vampire’s form, a smooth back, curvaceous hips, strong lean legs and before her mind could think of more Matska turned around, facing her fully.

She remembered how she had held back a gasp as she regarded the woman in front of her, she was the very definition of beauty itself.

Matska didn’t cover herself up as she expected her to do but strode predatorily toward her until her nude form was pressed up against her own fully clothed form, with enough pressure to back her up and close the door behind them with a soft click. Her breath hitched as Matska’s arm grazed her waist as she reached behind her to lock the door giving them extra security.

Loving another woman didn’t scare her as much as she thought it would. It was the one thing that came natural as if God, himself, came rushing through with every touch they shared or when she would catch a glance of Matska, euphoria would fill her body.

The beginning of their secret affair started right there and carried on two years later until present day where she found herself, back again in her lover’s arm, from which she only departed from that morning as Matska had left to run an errand for Lilita. She didn’t ask the vampire what she would be doing, she didn’t want to know, it must have been something disturbing if she had gotten Matska involved.

“Lolena.” she breathed, placing a kiss just beneath her ear.

She was tempted to turn around in those strong arms when her gaze found the jug on the table. She remembered where she was and just who was in the next room.

“We mustn’t!” Lolena protested but made no effort to move out of the arms holding her either.

“You wound me, Lolena.” Matska joked.

Not wanting to anger Lilita further, she shook out of Matska’s arms and started moving around the kitchen, trying to keep as much distance between herself and the woman who was dying to take her in her arms once more.

“I must get this back to your Mother and her guests before she decides on making me the entertainment for tonight.” Lolena cautioned, as she held the jug under the nozzle of the drinking barrel, filled to the brim with blood, for this occasion, refilling the jug once more.

“Well then, it’s best we show our faces, lead the way.” Matska directed.

Lolena wearily moved past her, not at all trusting the smirk that was still on the vampire’s face. She was right. She had opened the kitchen door only to let out a squeak as she felt a sharp pinch on her behind nearly spilling the contents of the jug.

Everybody sitting at the table spared a glance in her direction and broke out into cheers upon seeing Matska enter the room.

Lolena resumed filling up Lilita’s goblet while Matska took a seat on the right hand side of Lilita.

“Was your trip a success Matska?” One of the vampire’s asked.

She couldn’t help but grin giving them all her answer.

Lilita couldn’t help but smile herself “As I’ve already told you, counselor, Matska never disappoints.”

“Tell us how it went?” Another vampire demanded.

Chuckling throatily, Matska recalled, in vivid detail, her mission. She was sent to a governor’s house, one who had been prying into Lilita’s, and the others, business, close to revealing them all as vampires, she slaughtered him and everyone else in his household.

“And the governor’s spawn, what of them?” The counselor, who had already addressed her, asked.

Lolena instantly felt sick at the mention of children. They were innocents in the midst of this war between vampires and humans. It wasn’t the first time she heard of them getting caught in this mix-up but it would be the first time she heard of Matska’s interactions with them.

“Who do you think opened the door?”

A round of cheers and laughter erupted around the table. It stopped as soon as it started by the sound of the jug, Lolena was holding, smashing upon impact on the ground.

She could feel the bile rising in her throat, all she could do was swallow it back down. She couldn’t move, as if she were frozen to the spot, she had watched as the jug slipped out of her hands and saw a look of annoyance adjoin the faces of the vampires around the table except for Matska’s whose face showed nothing but concern.

“I-I’m sorry my Lady. I feel overcome by sickness suddenly, would you please excuse me?” Lolena asked

Lilita looked at her bored for a moment and waved her off “You’re excused and will one of you clean this damn mess up.”

She couldn’t stay in that room for another moment. _How could she do that?_   She knew that loving a vampire came with certain…boundaries but never could she have imagined Matska would be capable of inflicting such a horrendous act, on children no less.

She walked along the hallway toward her room when a hand placed itself upon her shoulder and turned her around. She was getting ready to rip said hand from her shoulder, thinking it to be Matska but stood shocked at the man in front of her. It was Bai Gang, a green dragon from China. Lilita had once let slip that the only reason the man in front of her was invited to these meetings was because of the sheer powers he possessed and if it was enough to shake Lilita in fear, Lolena was suffice to say, petrified.

“You do not belong here.” He spoke with a heavy southern Chinese accent.

“What?”

“I said, you do not belong in this house, evil pours from every crack and corner including your vampire.”

While still angry and extremely saddened by Matska’s actions she would not stand there and let this man continue to speak badly of her lover even if she feared him greatly.

She shook his hand off her shoulder “I mean this in no disrespect but what is it you know of this household? You do not live here but yet speak of issues you know nothing of, I can’t help but wonder why? I merely work here. Why is it you do not see me belonging to the Morgan house?”

“I’ve been watching you since you first joined our meetings. This house won’t corrupt you, your soul is too pure for that, but it will destroy you. tTke the last two minutes for example. You cannot even bear to listen to the actions your vampire has committed. What will happen when she commits even far more troublesome atrocities? You won’t be able to take the killing. You cannot take the killing right now.” His green eyes slit into that which resembled a snakes as he verbally stabbed at her.

“Stop it!” she demanded, her voice sounding weak even to herself.

“I can help you escape if it’s fear of leaving that causing you to stay.”

She eyed him curiously “That is not it at all but on a curious note, how, actually no, why would you really help me?”

“Yes, I must admit while annoying Lilita would be a plus, please take my word when I say I just want you out of this. Human lives are selfishly short compared to the rest of us in that room, you shouldn’t spend it wallowing away here waiting for the day you or Lilita or even your beloved, snaps and you get hurt or killed and the latter is looking more realistic.” He said

“The suspicions you hold that there is something between myself and Matska are entirely false. I would appreciate you not insinuating that I would be capable of such a disgusting act.” She glared at him as he chuckled at her statement “You ask that I leave but what is outside these walls? I agree sometime may arise when I may want to leave but how?”

His eyes seemed to glow almost magically “That, my dear, is where I come in. Have you ever heard of dragon’s blood? The effects it would have on someone of your kind. It is nothing close to vampire’s if that is what you’re thinking. You would be immortal, able to twist the minds of people around you into thinking they’ve always known you and never notice your lack of aging”

When he saw her mouth agape in astonishment he knew he had her hooked “The world is changing, a girl such as yourself should get to witness all its new discoveries. You won’t see any of them here or even with her” He smirked. “If you find yourself looking for said escape, merely call”

With that he took his leave already knowing he had planted a seed in the girl’s mind.

She went into her room, not bothering to lock the door or change, Matska would be in soon like she was every night, she plunked down onto the bed. Her mind was racing, thinking of what the dragon had told her. He was right about certain assumptions, she would give him that but was he right about Matska. Would the woman ever truly hurt her? If she was any other human the answer would a resounding yes. Being with Matska was both amazing as well as a curse.

The vampire would never leave this life, she loved the adrenaline she got out of each kill too much to do so. Could she leave this life and everything she knew on a dragon’s word? Maybe. This love would only hold on for so long until she began to age or Matska would tire of her. As much as she hoped she did, Matska never or would ever truly care for her, Lolena had thought her words true.

She continued to ponder her ultimatum for hours. She didn’t even notice the door creak or the body slip under the sheets, only slipping out of her thoughts when arms pulled her close. She could smell the wine as well as the blood coming from the woman, who was nuzzling into her hair, which meant one thing, both combinations together made for a very drunk Matska.

“I know what I said upset you but Maman said ‘leave no witnesses’. I understand how it upsets you so, darling, but he was going to reveal us. They would have killed us all.” Matska slurred, her lips brushing against the shell of her ear.

She jumped out of the bed, her hands balled up in anger, pacing up and down on the wooden floorboards “It does not give you the right to take the lives of innocent children Matska. Oh God, I cannot get the image out of my head. It’s sickening, thinking of those tiny bodies with their throats ripped out and for what? I don’t agree with you killing anyone but out of all of this couldn’t you have just killed the governor and left the rest of them out of it?”

Matska snuggled into the pillow her eyes dropping closed “If it’s of any consolation, I ended them quickly. Stop pacing! you’re going to make me sick with all that motion.”

She stared down at the now sleeping woman on her bed, shaking her head she left Matska in her drunken state and left the room making sure to bang the door hard, hopefully waking the vampire in the process.

Fresh air, she needed it, craved it. It was pitch black outside and a cool breeze was blowing in the air. It was nice on her heated skin. She crossed her arms and spotted a lone figure in the well-trimmed gardens. She squinted trying to see who it was and when she caught sight of the face she made her way over to him.

“Reconsidered my offer?” Bai Gang asked and received a nod in response.

He pulled the hood of his robe down showing his features as he was in the beginning of transitioning back to his true form for his trip home. Green scales covered his face, his nose was non-existent but instead, two slits were now in its place.

“This, dragon’s blood, if I did agree to it, would I need to feed like the rest of them? If so, I decline your offer. I cannot bring harm upon another human being” She felt anger course her body once again that night as he dared laugh at her morals.

“No, my dear, you merely drink my blood once and the process is complete.” She nodded and looked back towards the castle

“I cannot just leave like this. What would become of me? Of Mat-..The people in the mansion? And I’m sure Lilita would not be pleased."

“I will personally handle Lilita.” He smirked. “You can say goodbye to your lover in the meantime.”

She spluttered “I’ve already told you, nothi-”

“You live in a house with vampires but yet you shy away from talk of loving a woman. It’s not exactly the strangest thing in comparison to the life your living right now, is it? Outside these walls it would be wise to keep your mouth shut of such things but be free to speak freely to me.” She knew it was silly to deny something as simple of love for a woman in a house filled with the supernatural but couldn’t shake her past life from outside these walls where such things were not heard of.

“Will I need to bring anything?” she asked.

“No, everything will be taken care of. All that’s left to say is your goodbye.” He said and shooed her back in the direction of the mansion.

Goodbyes. Goodbye to the woman she had learned to love, who she thought had loved her equally in response. Goodbye to this life, yes it would be nice to say goodbye to the mansion but the friends she made in it, no. Her family was long since dead, Lilita had taken pity on her when she entered her home, that doubled as a tiny tailor shop, to have a dress mended, and decided on stealing the girl away and have her work at the mansion for the older vampire.

Walking down the hallway was the longest walk in her life. She could go back out and tell him no and stay here with Matska, with whatever time they had left with each other. She wished it never came to this. She wished Matska to be free of her demon. She wished they had met in another life and maybe then this relationship could have worked out. Breaking the news to Mattie didn’t scare her. For all she knew Matska could have been thinking about ending things with her too.

She opened the door and peeped her head in to see Matska fast asleep in the middle of the bed and, as much as she would firmly deny it when conscious, snoring softly.

She sat down on the side of the bed, using her index finger, stroked the smooth cheek of the sleeping demon.

“Matska.” She whispered, but the woman remained unconscious.

She repeated herself and shook Matska gently, stopping when brown eyes slowly opened.

“What is it?” she asked, voice still slurring from her earlier partying.

“Matska, I need to talk to you about something important. Can you sit up?”

Even in her state Matska still knew Lolena was trying to convey a sense of urgency an issue and sat up, throwing her legs over the side of the bed and sitting next to Lolena. Her eyebrows furrowed when Lolena suddenly jumped up to stand in front of her.

“Lolena? What is it you wish to speak to me about that couldn’t wait until morning?”

“I’m leaving.” She said and could feel her voice begin to crack.

“What?”

“I’m leaving Matska.” Swallowing the lump in her throat and trying to keep her tears at bay.

“Pardon me, I’m confused here, leaving? Where are you going?” she asked, studying the girls face and could see the pain that lay evidently plastered there.

“I do not know where just yet but I cannot continue to live here Matska. The pain is becoming too much to handle. Those killings all lay heavily on my conscious and I cannot bear to hear of one more.” Tears sprung to her eyes and she had to turn her head away from the sight of the woman in front of her. She had to, if she was to get through this.

“I don’t know what it is you wish for me to say. I have to feed to survive Lolena, I will not apologize for that.”

“I understand you feeding Matska, but what you are apart from that is-” She was effectively cut off by Matska standing up, towering over her, swaying slightly.

“And what is it I am?”

“YOU’RE A _KILLER_! YOU KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE! YOU’VE MURDERED CHILDREN FOR _CHRIST’S_ SAKE!” Lolena cried, lone tears that were threatening to fall, were now sliding down pale cheeks.

They both stood silent after Lolena’s outburst. Lolena trying to contain herself and failing while Matska tried to figure out what to say. It was true, this wasn’t the first time Matska had taken the life of a child and it probably wouldn’t be the last time either. She didn’t feel anything remotely resembling empathy when she killed. Every kill was a rush, a power surge urging her on to further the death toll.

That was her life but it didn’t mean the same for Lolena. The girl was purity surrounded by killers such as herself. Lolena was a reminder to her that she could have something good and pure in her life without damaging it but just like everything else her hands touched, she ruined it.

“Lolena, I-I never intentionally wanted to cause you any suffering, you do know this? If this new life will bring you the peace and happiness you truly seek, then seize the opportunity but answer me truthfully, do you really wish to leave?” She asked, her own voice becoming husky trying to keep her own emotions at bay. Lolena may have high morals but her sensitivity would win out if Matska fell apart in front of her. She needed Lolena to make the right choice and not manipulate that. Never manipulate her.

She wiped her eyes her the sleeves of her dress and looked back at Matska.

“I do.” she sniffled.

Matska nodded her head in understanding “Then go, May happiness line your path, Lolena. Live your life with someone deserving of you and start a family, one you are proud of and I promise you now.” She took Lolena’s hands in her own “ As long as I live I will never forget what we shared.” She let go of Lolena’s hands and cradled her face.

“May I? One last time?” She knew what Matska was referring to and she pressed her lips against Matska’s, giving her, her one last request.

Matska could taste the saltiness on her lips from Lolena’s tears, desperately trying to make the kiss last as long as she possibly could. While air wasn’t an issue for her it was for Lolena. They broke apart and shared a finale look, both trying to burn the image of each others face into their mind, before Lolena broke her gaze and walked back out the door.

She wanted to run after her, confess her love, promise Lolena a happy ending she knew she would never be able to give the girl instead of the hurt, she neglected to see, she had been giving instead of what Lolena craved for the past two years. She wanted didn’t want her to go, to leave her, ever. Lolena deserved this, she reminded herself, deserved to be free of this life, of her but then why did it hurt as badly as it did.

The pain seemed to radiate out from her chest, she tried to contain it but instead, snapped.

She ripped apart the wooden furniture in the room, tore apart the bed sheets, broke the bed-frame in two and smashed the windows with her fists shattering glass onto herself and all over the floor.

Lilita herself was just after her talk with Bai Gang which meant Lolena would be leaving shortly. She went in search of Mattie to vent her frustrations to and see what way the woman was taking the news but she didn’t expect to find the other woman in the state she was in.

“ROOK!" She shouted, trying to get her attention but the vampire continued to rip apart anything she could get her hands on.

Lilita tiptoed over the mess and strode toward Matska, grabbing at her arms, stopping her ministrations. She sighed as Matska broke down in her arms, sobbing and clutching tightly at the hands around her waist.

“She left me.”

Lilita shushed her, still holding her tight but a smirk played at her lips “This is why you don’t fall in love with humans, Matska. Now stop your crying, I have something that can stop your pain.”

She let go of Matska and grabbed her hand pulling her out of the room toward her library in the basement. When she was through with Matska she would never have to deal with not having the woman’s undivided attention again. Matska would never have to deal with the weakness that is love. She wouldn’t put Lilita in harm’s way because she would second think a killing because her human, a pet, did not approve.

Matska would become her greatest weapon. A Rook in her eternal game of chess. She was near giddy at the thought.

They walked down the old wooden stairs into pitch darkness. Lilita snapped her fingers and the candles that lined the walls alighted. She walked toward her Victorian table and opened one of the drawers, pulling out a gold necklace with a circular whole in the middle and a separate small clear glass ball. She walked back to Matska with both items and ignored the frightened look of recognition on Matska’s face upon seeing the items in her hands.

“Will it hurt?” Matska asked

“In comparison to living with a broken heart. No.” she lied.

Matska was, suffice to say, extremely hesitant to agree with Lilita with this idea but if it meant she wouldn’t continue to feel the effect Lolena’s departure had on her, the idea seemed more attractive. The only other positive about this meant she wouldn’t be so easy to kill. Lilita slid the ball into the circular hole in the necklace and lifted it up to Matska indicating for her to move her hair out of the way.

Lilita’s fingers were cold as the grazed her throat and tied the clasp around her neck. Matska looked at Lilita dumbfounded when the necklace began glowing suddenly. It sent light into every dark corner of the basement’s library. Lilita took a step back and shielded her eyes using her arm, the light blinding her.

Matska couldn’t scream or move with the pain coursing through her body, it was worse than when she was changed by Lilita all those years ago. Her soul felt like it was being ripped out of her body and going straight into the ball on the necklace.

The ordeal was over in a matter of seconds. Lilita rushed forward to grab Mattie as she slipped to the floor when the glowing stopped. They sat on the floor, Lilita stroking her hair, Mattie slowly starting to regain her strength.

“What do you feel?” Lilita inquired.

Matska looked up into her eyes, her gaze dead, holding no emotion. Perfect Lilita thought.

“Nothing.”

* * *

 

Lolena woke up on a four poster canopy bed. She had changed into a green silk robe when she arrived with Bai Gang. He reassured her that there would be clothes ready for her in the morning. He was evidently correct as gowns; pink, green and purple in color lay on top of her dresser. She ignored them for the time being and ventured out of her room.

It was late last night when they arrived. Their trip was very tiresome, with Lolena wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for an unrealistic amount of time. She didn’t take in any of her surroundings last night but instead headed straight to the room that Bai Gang instructed her to. Her room had an opening out to the court and another that connected her to a hallway with twists and turns that all linked up the rest of the building.

He had changed her the night they left the mansion. She remembered how he had slid a knife across his palm and used a vile to collect the blood as it poured out. He then handed the vile over to her to drink. The blood was hot in her mouth, scorching even. She would never be a dragon but she would hold a large quantity of the powers that came with having dragon's blood in one's body.

She slid back the wooden door and headed out to the court that doubled as a training ground. The sight before her was magnificent. Ancient symbols of dragons and snakes were carved in the stone beneath her feet, traveling all around the court, their tails entangled together.

A small garden lay over to the side where carp swam happily around in the pond located there. A small walkway was placed directly over the pond where Bai Gang stood in rich robes feeding the fish below him.

She headed over and stood next to him, gazing down into the pond where the fish were now swirling around, all trying to get as much food as possible, making tiny ripples in the water.

Neither said anything, there was nothing to say.

 


	2. The Entrance of a Countess

Years had passed and Lilita was beginning to worry about the attention Matska’s killings were receiving, mainly from the poor.

After Lolena had left, the younger vampire went on a murderous rampage killing everything and everyone in sight. No longer was she luring men or woman into alleyways or tricking them into inviting her into their homes with promises of a satisfactory night but by far contrast left bodies, throats ripped open, lying publicly on streets. The board knew of Mattie’s slaughterings but remained mute, as long as she was not killing anyone of nobility or in a higher political stance, that would draw too much attention to them, she was left to her own devices. As much as that decision displeased Lilita.

Lilita’s intentions for Matska were of a higher standard. Without love in her life Mattie would be able to focus solely on business, or so Lilita thought. The older woman had thought with Lolena out of the way she could make a play for head of the board and together, with Matska by her side, she would have full control over their entire district. Her plans of such things were dissolving now due to the lack of focus from Mattie.

When she returned back to the mansion she could smell blood as she stepped foot on the walkway. The smell meant Matska had returned home after a night of further rampage. The closer she got to the house the worse the smell. Blood should have smelt like a beautiful aroma to her but instead it smelt of all things ungodly rotting which meant Mattie was feeding on just about anyone including people of illness.

Enraged, she quickened her footsteps and flung open the front door. The reason for her irritation lay crumpled against the foyer’s wall, apparently full enough, for now, to let herself doze off, sleeping soundly in a heap on the floor. Lilita supposed an all-night bender lacking such rest would do that to a vampire, she herself having enough restraint and dignity to never do such things.

The walls were coated in blood as if Mattie had run her hand along it, or from trying to keep herself upright and when the blood markings drooped downward, she figured it was from Matska crumpling to the floor.

“Well don’t stand around gawking, you blockheads, pick her up and get her cleaned up” she barked at the maids.

They looked at one another silently asking who would have to fulfill Lilita’s orders when the oldest of the maids pushed the younger girl’s aside and pulled Mattie onto her feet. Supporting her, with the vampire’s arm thrown over her shoulders, she dragged her toward the downstairs wash room, blood soaking through her crisp white apron.

Everybody in the mansion seemed to be feeling the impact of Lolena’s sudden departure harshly. Some more so than others. The mansion remained unkempt in places, such as the hallway leading to Lolena’s quarters. The maids wanted to clean the mess but Matska scared off anybody who dared try. The maids themselves had their work duties doubled and their moral at an all-time low. Lolena acted as a mother figure for the younger girls, providing advice when she could and helping to keep them in high spirits when living in a house with vampires was beginning to prove too much.

They held no resentment for Lolena leaving, they had seen her soul slowly begin to disappear right before their eyes, and out of all of them, if there was anyone deserving of a way out, it was her. While they had missed her dearly as a friend, they also missed her when it came to certain duties. She was the only one who was able to handle Matska. Their Mistress had torn apart a maid right before their very eyes for daring to speak to her in the same manner Lolena once did and another one who had been issued Lolena’s old room. Matska had not moved back into her own chambers, in favor of remaining in Lolena’s room without their knowledge.

The maid had rearranged everything in the room to suit her tastes, thinking she would be living in the quarter’s now but when an enraged Mattie returned home and caught sight of what the maid had done, her tortured screams still haunted the rest of the living souls in the mansion.

Lilita couldn’t understand how Matska was still feeling such anguish. The necklace was meant to have ripped every emotion from her body, perhaps it needed time to pull the remaining feelings from Mattie’s soul. Although, she had already waited years for the necklace to take full effect, maybe a few more months was all it needed. For now, she would have to let her daughter endure her anguish until it would be forever locked away.

She was torn from her thoughts by blood curdling screams coming from the direction of the washroom. Trying to find help for a house with vampires required a great deal of manipulation during interviews and she would have to start her search soon or else she wouldn’t have any maids left, especially not with the way Matska was tearing through them.

She headed towards the washroom to survey the scene as some of the help past by her, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the two vampires knowing a fight was imminent.

* * *

 

 

Matska settled down considerably after that. She never did fully regain her full personality, which pleased Lilita for the reason that Mattie had fallen in love while in that head-space, now the younger vampire held a sharper mind, quick to act instead of thoroughly think a situation through as she once did, in fear her actions would, in some way, bring harm to her lover.

One thing that seemed to follow Mattie through any circumstance was her attitude. She continued to slay other vampires merely with sarcastic remarks including those who held positions on the board which left Lilita apologizing profusely for a behavior.

The board was less forgiving these days and did not overlook anything anymore, even for Lilita. They couldn’t afford too, not with the threat of the Ottoman war right upon their doorstep and their Emperor Leopold having deserted their country, leaving them in the lurch. They had it on strong authority that Leopold was last seen taking a boat up the Danube making his way to Passau in Germany, a safer area for the Emperor to take refuge in.

The ‘Turks’ came in droves, upon camels and horseback, heavily armored and high in numbers. They had snuck under the walls of Vienna and had taken up position at the gates. Some had pushed further downward making their way to Styria. It was with that movement which brought an unexpected guest to a meeting of the board.

A young Prince Eugene of Savoy visited the boards alone, asking for a partnership to help drive back the forces and be rewarded with immunity, which of course came with strong terms. It meant the same as before, they would be left alone without public knowledge of their cult and allowed kill or feed upon a person without social standing as long as they did so in a discreet manner. Their ties to the Prince also meant they had his protection. They could come and go as pleased, traveling between countries without question upon departure or arrival at their destination.

They agreed and together, with volunteers from Polish forces, they drove back the ‘Turks’. Mattie attacking and pushing forward, jumping onto horses, spear in hand, stabbing and slitting anything that resembled an Ottoman.

The vampires officially retired from the standby defense squad, a name Mattie referred to the board as during every meeting, in 1687. A far more harrowing situation acquiring their attention.

The awakening of the angler fish.

For so long the fish had remained dormant. The war with the Ottoman’s apparently having awakened it due to gunpowder raining down upon its resting place and bombs rattling the ground and dirt that surrounded the monster, that, for so long, helped to keep it secured beneath a layer of earth. With the earth broken, it allowed the beast to edge closer but got stuck in the process as boulders crumbled and gave way, creating a giant crater, confining the fish securely but if it remained awake and in its restless state, as of now, it would soon escape its enclosure. They had read enough books to know exactly the infliction of pain and suffering that would be brought upon them all if it escaped.

They appointed Lilita to be a ‘caregiver’, of a sort, for the angler-fish. Her father having passed his knowledge of the great beast down to her when he was alive, so to speak, left her with the power of knowing how exactly to settle the demon, at least for twenty years at a time. Matska had been waiting outside the room, one to many disruptions mostly consisting of her challenging a superior for proof regarding a delicate subject, escalating further into Mattie telling said superior he knew nothing of which he spoke, resulting in her being escorted from the room. When the meeting ended and most vanished from the room she waited for Lilita to exit and when she finally did the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Lilita was talking to Vordenberg.

Vordenberg’s were allowed attend their meetings because of an old agreement between an elder vampire and one of the very first Vordenberg’s during the 1400’s. Apparently involving him having stumbled upon a meeting between a vampire and a banshee. He had listened to the conversation between the two mythical creatures as they discussed their own opinions from a meeting they had attended and when the vampire left, he jumped out and captured the banshee, torturing her into revealing where the vampire's resided. He sent letters, from a secure location, threatening to expose her in the public square unless he was giving leeway into everything that made them who they were. The board agreed promptly, not willing to risk exposure of any kind.

Vordenberg’s had since lived off the treasures and riches brought in by vampires, some of whom had been traveling the world, mapping it out, looking for more of their kind, Vordenberg’s were nothing but stealing thieves and agreement or not, should have had their necks cracked long ago, at least in Matska’s opinion.

She watched as Lilita said her goodbye’s and made her way toward her.

“What words did the sniveling troll wish to have spoken with you?” she asked, sneering slightly.

“Turn thought from the man, we have matters of urgency to attend to” Lilita muttered and together they made their way out of the building and into the courtyard where their carriage awaited them. One of the help poised by the carriages door ready to open it once they drew nearer.

He helped them in, shut the door and took reign of the horses spurring them on to their journey back home. “Tell me, what is so imperative that it requires immersion of both our heads or, perhaps, is it hands?”

Lilita sighed “A bit of both. This angler fish troubles me greatly. Sacrificing five bodies every twenty years is quite saddening is it not? To think of the feast those bodies could have provided us. The process itself is quite long with having to watch the person deteriorate. It would be simpler to just throw them down the pit but alas it doesn’t work that way Rook”

Matska crossed her arms and huffed “I hope you know I won’t be indulging you with my assistance. You can feed the damn thing yourself”

“Luck favors me. I won’t need to begin my search until next year”

“Which arrives within two full moons” Matska retorted, a bored tone resonating in her voice.

“Yes and within my search, in the coming year, brings about a chance to strike back at the Vordenberg’s” She felt Matska shift next to her until she was fully facing her in the seat, listening with rapt attention when a threat to the Vordenberg’s was mentioned “for all consideration on the subject, I’ve already found a girl to become one of the first, out of five, to be a sacrifice, which I’m sure the board will agree to after all it is saving them, no matter the girl’s position or her ties”

Mattie furrowed her eyebrows “To whom are we speaking about here? I was under the impression, from your previous words, that your ploy would in some way render the Bastard”

Lilita laughed “Oh it will Rook, the girl is to be married to the Baron following her eighteenth birthday. Vordenberg was boasting about her as the meeting ended. He gave invitation to a party where the girl will be attending, with her family, to which he will be co-hosting”

Matska hummed, having hoped for better news when striking back at the Vordenberg’s had been promised “Who is this girl?”

“The daughter of the Count Karnstein, Mircalla”

* * *

 

 

“Focus Lolena! Stop imagining it! Feel the power in your body, manipulate it! Create that history, produce a bond” Bai Gang instructed.

A girl stood in front of her, a blank expression on her face as she stared right through Lolena. They were practicing in one of the many training rooms inside of the temple.

Many years had passed and Bai Gang was beginning to lose patience with his student. Her progress, with the dragon blood in her body, was slow. She had yet to come close to mastering even one of the skills possessed through the blood. Her morals were getting in the way of her training. She didn’t want control over another human being. The people would hold nothing but fake memories of her in their lives, she loathed the power.

Bai Gang had used his own power on the people of the nearby village to plant false memories in their minds of Lolena. The memories meant she would not be seen as an outsider and instead made them think Lolena was dropped off at the village as a baby and raised in the temple by Bai Gang.

He had left one girl’s memories untouched, the girl standing before them. She acted as a practice body for Lolena, not able to refuse, due to her loyalty to Bai Gang, even though she wanted to.

Every day she would practice on the girl before her with no improvement and at night she would lie awake, guilt knowing away at her, filling her mind with harrowing thoughts about herself and after she agreed with them her mind would drift to Matska. The woman had probably already picked out a new play toy, manipulating them with her sweet words. The same words said to her with such sincerity, she almost believed them. Matska had made her feel as if their love was full of purity and she held onto those feelings, storing them from the good times to cover the rough patches when Matska would enter their room late at night, arms soaked in blood and the vile smell coming off the vampire in waves.

She focused on the girl once more. She could feel the blood burning in her veins, readying itself for transfer. She imagined the fake scenario she would give the girl, how they first meet and the girls feelings toward her, always stick to friendly, Bai Gang had told her, she pushed forward feeling the heat move toward the girl only to drop in the space between them. Her veins running cold absent of its previous heat.

“Again” Bai Gang growled.

* * *

 

 

Two months following the boards meeting and Lilita’s talk with Vordenberg, found Lilita sitting in a carriage outside the Vordenberg mansion.

Matska would remain at home in their own mansion as Lilita would not be staying at the party long, at least, that is what Lilita had promised. Mattie sat on the chaise in the living room, goblet of blood in one hand and her favorite book in the other, reading by candlelight. She had guessed Lilita would not return home until the early hours of the morning or until the night candle had burned out.

She suspected her Maman was now rubbing elbows with people of social hierarchy at the party. Her mother would influence people into revealing information about the other guests in attendance, trying to find out as much about her target as possible, she would then move onto another guest extorting what information she could from them as well.

Her assumptions were not wrong as Lilita found herself progressing through the crowd, their pesky hands making a grab for her wrists or shoulders, spinning her around to face them and engage in conversation. All eager to have words with Lady Morgana.

She spotted the Count near the staircase, his daughter, whom had celebrated her eighteenth birthday the month before, stood rooted beside him. An exasperated expression adjoining her face. The older Vordenberg chatted with a woman, whom appeared to be of middle age, she reckoned the woman to be Mircalla’s mother. The woman didn’t notice or was blatantly ignoring the leering looks the older Vordenberg was sending her daughter’s way.

Waltzing music filled the air and the guests instantly broke out into gossip, all wondering which pair would first take to the floor. All the guests knowing that there would be nothing but scandalous talk of those who danced together had them side eyeing one another. Vordenberg pushed Mircalla’s mother to the side, cutting her off mid-sentence and grasped the younger Karnstein’s hand in his own, dragging her out onto the floor, roughly pulling her against his body. It made for a cringe-worthy sight with the Baron having two left feet, standing on the younger girl’s own throughout the song and dragging her around the floor instead of the graceful manner the song acquired. Guests stifled their giggles behind their hands while others sent sympathetic looks the Karnstein’s way.

All music and talk came to sudden halt when the Count Karnstein stepped onto the floor and made quick strides toward his daughter. She watched as they exchanged words before the Count grasped his daughter by the elbow and dragged her towards the entrance, the rest of the Karnstein’s and the Vordenberg’s minions following. Some of the burly men held back keeping the guests from exiting toward the scene between the Karnstein’s and the Vordenberg’s and instructed the musicians to resume playing, loudly.

Lilita used her full speed to get past the men, with them feeling nothing but a bust of air against their necks from her departure. She could hear shouting coming from the garden’s catching snippets of the problem with difficulty due to the fact they all were speaking at once. Apparently, the Count was angry about the scene the Baron had caused with his waltzing, feeling as though he had been trying to tarnish the Karnstein name and credibility to equal that of the Vordenberg’s. He had then angrily lashed out at the Baron telling him the arrangement was called off, he would not take his daughter’s hand in marriage.

He had tried to push past Vordenberg and his minions but he found himself thrust back. Vordenberg grabbing hold of Mircalla, tightly wrapping his hands around her waist. Lilita snuck onto the balcony overlooking the garden just in time to hear the Baron give his order to his minions to kill them all. The men drew their swords and edged toward the Karnstein’s as they took steps back, looking around desperately for an escape route. They found none and soon enough the minion’s had their swords buried into their bodies. Slaughtering them all where they stood.

One of the men moved over to the corner Mircalla’s mother was cornered in, never hearing the rustling from behind him as Mircalla escaped from the Baron’s arms, with a quick jab of an elbow to the gut and ran in front of her mother just as the man thrust his sword forward burying the steel, through both Mircalla and her mother, to the hilt and pulled it back out,its steel now coated in blood, leaving their bodies drop to the floor. Vordenberg cried out and pushed the man aside gathering the girl into his arms before one of the men knelt down and whispered in his ear.

He dropped her body and together, with the rest of his men, re-entered the mansion, formulating a plan to get the Karnstein’s bodies out of the garden without arousing suspicion. As soon as the door leading to the garden closed, she jumped down, getting a closer look and surveying the damage up close. She had been studying the Count’s face when a hand grabbed her ankle. She gazed down at the owner of said hand to see a terrified, pain-stricken Mircalla staring up at her. She knelt down grasping the girls hand in her own, bringing it up to her lips, kissing her blood soaked knuckles and held it tight to her chest.

“Help me” Mircalla pleaded, blood spilling past her lips in the process.

Lilita studied the young girl before her. She was of no use now. Lilita’s purpose toward the girl was to infect her with the beginnings of the ritual, she didn’t expect to have the girl dying beside her before the night was through. Two months of waiting, wasted. Although, maybe it wasn’t entirely wasted. She could still retaliate against Vordenberg and gain a new daughter in the process, one that may actually be of use.

She bared her fangs and Mircalla’s eyes opened wide in horror before Lilita buried herself in her neck, transforming the girl into a creature of the night like her.

She heard movement returning to the court yard and climbed back onto the balcony just as the ritual was complete. She growled in anger as she had to leave the girl. Mircalla needed to remain with Lilita, in someone so young it could take days or weeks until the demon awoke within the young Karnstein’s body, she needed to be there when it did or all hell would break loose. Then again the girl may remain dead, Lilita may have been too late in saving her.

Lilita observed them re-enter the gardens, this time another man accompanying them. She recognized him straight away. Vordenberg had recruited Marcus, an older vampire and a ‘friend’ of Lilita’s into the trouble he had caused and no doubt wanted Marcus’s help in disposing of the bodies. He caught her eye after catching her scent wafting from the balcony and nodded his head in the direction of the gates indicating for her to leave. She knew he would come to her mansion, once he had finished cleaning up, for discussion. She could ask him then where they discarded her daughter.

* * *

 

 

Marcus had indeed followed through on her assumption and visited the mansion in the early hours of the morning. She had not gone to bed, forgoing sleep in wait for Marcus to arrive with news. What he said infuriated more so than she thought possible.

Marcus had sensed the infection, smelling it in Mircalla’s bloodstream and had told the Baron of his discovery in hopes of discouraging him from trying to keep possession of her body. Vordenberg had finally agreed after a bout of difficult persuasion coming from Marcus. With the help of Vordenberg’s minions they discarded their bodies onto an empty cart carriage and a threw a sheet over them. He traveled back to the Karnstein manor, alone, and one by one, buried the Karnstein’s, digging a plot for each and covering their bodies with a wooden board, to mask the smell and act as a coffin top, before filling the hole back up with a shovel.

He repeated the ritual for each Karnstein, working through the night and when he got to Mircalla, he carried her body over to the grey marble tomb, lifted its heavy lid, that would normally require well over six pairs of hands to lift and placed her gently inside, acting as a resting place for the young Karnstein and covered the tomb once more, putting the lib back in place. He picked a single red rose from a bush growing near the grey marble and placed it on the tomb. He left the carriage and horses at the Karnstein manor and took flight toward Lilita’s mansion.

He had soon left after debriefing Lilita and she decided on going to retrieve Mircalla’s body the next night. She had yet to tell Mattie of the situation thinking what her, now eldest, daughter didn’t know, wouldn’t trouble her. She would tell her in due time but right now she had to focus on getting Mircalla’s slumbering body back or maybe dead body, she would check to see how the infection was working in her bloodstream once she had the girl before her.

God himself seemed to favor her as Matska picked that day to go out for a fresh round of feeding, tired of the blood Lilita kept barreled up in the storeroom. She had shouted her plans for the day through the wall to Lilita, receiving no disagreement, she carried on until the older woman heard the front door shut leaving her to her thoughts.

A new vampire required some attention, having to teach them control in regards to feeding, powers that came with being a vampire, including unique powers that came to each as if their human bodies demanded something more for the changes it had to face. Mostly, the changes were in terms of types of animals. The infection sensing what sort of spirit animal the person possessed and allowed them change into said animal during transformation.

Having to teach all of this to a new born would be quite strenuous on her time especially since she would have to start looking for girls to sacrifice to the fish. Matska had flat out refused to help in terms of looking for sacrifices and poisoning their minds, determining it a waste of her valuable time. After she had trained her new daughter maybe she could somehow get her involved in the process, helping to speed up the time spent focusing on each girl.

Her mind raced with such thoughts throughout the day, she hadn’t even notice the sun beginning to set until a maid knocked on the door asking if she would like some supper. She refused the maid and grabbed her cloak hanging from the door rack, making her way out of the mansion and into the night, in the direction of the Karnstein manor.

When she arrived she could smell death in the air. It was mixing with the night’s light breeze. The normal human nose would not be able to smell of such things. When a corpse started to rot it would be the only smell a human being would know to equal itself with death but that simply wasn't true. This was a scent that no mortal would ever know, the truest form of death itself.

She immediately located the tomb, Marcus having told her he placed Mircalla’s body in its interior and hurried over, stepping on the newly dug graves of the Karnstein family, uncaring and of little respect. From what she saw, as she drew closer to the tomb, completely shocked her. The lid was lying on the ground and the tomb itself, empty.

She placed her hand inside the tomb feeling for heat, trying to figure out how long ago the body was taken. If it was hot it meant the grave robber may still be around but alas the temperature inside held nothing but of the natural cold state of marble. She smelled around the tomb trying to pick up the scent of the robber. It had to have been a grave robber, Mircalla couldn’t have awoken already, it was near impossible.

A growl ripped past her lips, resonating low in her throat, once she marked the person from whose scent she identified. It was undeniably him, Vordenberg. The bastard, it seemed, had come back and stolen her daughter’s body. His twisted mind had her worried. If the man was capable of robbing a young girl’s dead body, one of which may be in the middle of a transformation to vampire, what else was he capable of doing to said body?

There were two places the Baron may have brought her body. She couldn’t visit them both tonight, the sun would begin to rise after she ransacked the first house and Mircalla’s body may not even be there. She hurried home, trying to formulate a plan on her way. Her thoughts drifted to Matska, maybe now it was time to tell her daughter, she could try and get Mattie to agree and help her, after all it was just one night.

Matska was already asleep, a day of feeding tiring her out, Lilita would have to wait until morning to have a discussion with her.

* * *

 

 

Matska was more resilient to agree than she was prepared for. Eventually, Lilita wore her down enough with promises of new garments, jewellery and a deal to not bother her for help for another year, Matska was going for five, Mattie agreed.

They stood outside the front door waiting for the sun to settle. Mattie would check Vordenberg’s guest house, as a precaution, in the east of town while Lilita would head straight for his mansion.

“I take it you're unhappy with the new addition” Lilita said, keeping her eyes trained ahead of her.

“Pleasantry holds no meaning in thoughts toward the girl. I hope you know I won’t be taking care of this _pet_ for you. What disarray she may cause, will fall solely upon your shoulders, I won’t guard the girl” Matska informed her, tense at the thought of a new untamed vampire living under the same roof as her.

“Careful of that tongue of yours Rook, it seems to uncurl enough to throw about lashings, it would be a pity to have it ripped from mouth” she said, half-heartedly serious and took notice of the darkness that now was beginning to fill the sky above them.

“Come now Matska, I will see you return here soon, hopefully I will find the girl in my own search but if she happens to be held at your location, you know what to do” Matska nodded her head and together they began walking down the path with one last warning, from Lilita, “Do not spill blood”

It didn’t take her long to find the guest house. It lay surrounded by acres of free land, the house itself another reminder of the thievery from the Vordenberg’s toward her creed. The house and its land bought with coin that had been stolen from her acquaintances. She near growled at the thought but reminded herself she needed to remain quiet, remain undetected.

She was heading toward the entrance to the back of the house when she passed by a side door, leading to the kitchen, she stopped short of passing it and glanced in the keyhole, checking to see if anybody was inside. She blinked and shook her head in disbelief at the sight before her. She reached up for the knob on the door, finding it unlocked, twisted it and pushed open the door, half way, before something heavy blocked her from opening it any further. The gap was enough for her to sneak in, shutting the door behind her.

She found the object of the door jam, not an object at all but a body. Another lay next to it and looking around the kitchen, she found two more, their throats ripped open. A river of blood flowed through the kitchen and from it, she saw bloody footprints leading out into the hallway. She followed them, catching sight of more bodies along the way, the footprints leading down into the cellar. She stepped over the body at the top of the stairs and made her way down, cautiously listening for any sound of movement, she surveyed the room when she reached the bottom step and saw the tracks stop just behind a wooden table.

She had seen those tables before, Maman had one she used for torturing and she knew they kept them in the asylum’s, helping to keep people strapped down during episodes. She couldn’t help but wonder why Vordenberg was in possession of one of these. She pushed the thought from mind when she rounded the table and found a naked girl, with medium length black hair, blood covering her entire body and knees pulled up to her chest. Her face was shielded from view, hiding it between her arms which were holding tight to her thin legs.

She seemed to sense Matska there as her teeth began chattering and tiny sobs ripped from her throat. She lifted her head to look at the intruder and when she did, Matska caught sight of blood soaked fangs. This was the girl Maman was looking for and by the looks of it, she had just awoken. She moved away from the girl looking for something to cover her body. She found a sheet and knelt down, throwing it over the girl’s shoulders. The girl grabbed for her, burying her face in the crook of her neck.

Matska froze, she waited to feel teeth pressing against her to give her reason to rip apart the new vampire but couldn’t help pity the girl when she merely sobbed, clutching against Mattie for some form of support. Matska allowed the girl to cry herself out and once exhaustion took hold, she picked the girl up bridal style and carried her out of the house. She moved as quickly as a bullet back to the mansion and could hear Lilita pacing on the other side of the door.

She shifted the girl in her arms and opened the door, stopping Lilita’s pacing as she stared at her two daughters. Anger flared within her when she say the blood covering the two.

“I thought I told you no killing”

“I didn’t, baby vamp seemed to want a snack upon awakening. Happily taking one, out of every one of the Vordenberg’s neck’s, except of course, the man himself. I didn’t see his body among-st the carnage” Matska snapped, both out of anger toward her mother’s accusation and Vordenberg escaping death.

“Yes, I caught sight of the miscreant at his mansion” She sighed and studied the girl in Matska’s arms for a moment “Get her cleaned up, Rook, the stench of weasel is burning my nose” Lilita instructed and walked into her den, shutting the door behind her.

Mattie looked around for one of the maids, trying to pawn the girl off on them but found none. They had all already retired to bed. She brought Mircalla down to the washroom and plopped her body into the bath. She threw the buckets of water, lined across the bath, on top of the girl, its freezing temperature instantly waking Mircalla. She uncaringly threw the washcloth at Mircalla and when the girl was too weak to pick it up, she groaned.

She grabbed the cloth back out of the water, squeezing the extra residue of water out and started washing down Mircalla’s arms. When she washed away the blood on her hands and wrist Mircalla hissed. Matska turned her hands back over noticing the bruised flesh. She reached over and grabbed Mircalla’s other arm and cleaned away the blood on her wrist noticing the same markings. Manic thoughts raced through her mind before coming to a conclusion, Vordenberg must have kept her strapped down upon the wooden table she had seen earlier.

She ignored the nauseating feeling in her stomach, reminding herself not to care about the young girl in front of her, who was now, as Maman kept referring to her as, her sister but she still couldn’t shake the gut-churning feeling as she found more marks on Mircalla’s body. She studied the marks, some were bruises and others looked as if they were bite marks. Knowing that Vordenberg’s family was already torn to shreds did little to comfort her, as more rage coursed throughout her body, begging for revenge against the man himself. He had caused yet more pain to one of her kind even if said ‘kind’ was unwanted by her.

“Who are you?” the girls asked weakly.

Matska gazed down at the young girl, maybe she could tolerate her. After all, the girl did exact more revenge on the Vordenberg’s in a way Mattie or Lilita had thought to do. Perhaps this girl would fit in here, just as long as she did not try and take Matska’s place they would have no problems.

“I’m Matska Belmonde” she smiled at the girl “Your sister”

Carmilla closed her eyes, lulling her head to the side and dozing off once more.

 


	3. Training ground

Prior to Matska’s utter refusal of ever taking care of the girl, she found herself actively involved during her training. The girl had grown on her, not that she would ever admit it, following the weeks after Mircalla’s first killings. She rarely spoke, which Matska was happy with, only listening to the advice, more condescending in manner, Matska threw her way.

The girl followed her everywhere. At first she felt annoyed by the sudden attention after being left alone for so long, she had learned to like the comfort she found in her own solitary, not at all liking the clinging nature of the new born but when she realized Mircalla was trying to adjust to her new life, feeling safest in Matska’s company while trying to do so, she softened, somewhat.

From what she heard, Vordenberg had fell apart after the murders of his loved one’s. She had also heard he was the one who had discovered their bodies, walking straight into the scene of Mircalla’s rampage to see his family’s bodies, some ripped apart, lying dead on the floor. She had taken delight in the fact Vordenberg had taken up seclusion in his house, hoping the bastard would rot to death, alone.

The board was unhappy to hear the news of Lilita’s newest addition. It was a contradictory in itself. They were okay with the girl being sacrificed but not to be turned into one of them. Either way the girl was dead. Matska had made sure to tell them of her exact opinions but was shot down mid speech by an elder telling her Mircalla was a young woman of status and could be easily recognized by a fellow Aristocrat. Lilita interrupted, weighing in with her own compelling argument on how a beautiful young girl could come at an advantage later. They soon agreed.

* * *

 

 

Friday night found Mircalla in the woods. She had been resting in her bedroom when Matska had come in, threw some clothes at her and after she got dressed, dragged her out the door. Matska stood on a log surveying the woodlands, listening intently for anybody who may be wondering about during the late hours.

Mircalla was trudging along through the mud, last night bringing a bout of rain mixing with the normally dried dirt ground, making her way over to Matska. Their usual garments were replaced with trousers and cotton shirts something which Mircalla was having trouble with. The clothes themselves were comfortable and were agreeable with her body when maneuvering around through the wooded area, it was the fact that she was wearing garments that were typically deemed for men that bothered Mircalla.

Although she couldn’t remember her life before turning, she did remember issues in regards to society’s acceptance and wearing these clothes brought a stigma.

“How much further must we travel” she huffed, tired of trafficking through dirt.

Matska whipped around to face her, annoyance at the repetition of the question sent her way the entire night from the younger girl. Lilita had been called away on angler-fish business leaving Matska to lead Mircalla out into the woods for a night of training.

She ignored the girl’s previous question, instead posing her own “What has Maman taught you in terms of guarding.”

The girl cocked her head to the side “Guarding what?”

“Oh for the love of-” Matska slapped her hands against her thighs “Guarding your prey. Has she told you anything even remotely close to the subject?”

“No, not that I recall”

Mircalla watched as the other vampire opened her mouth to speak before turning back around, cocking her head in the direction of the trees, as if something had caught her attention and turned back around with a sneering grin on her face.

“Well tonight has brought you favor. You’re going to find out exactly what I mean”

The younger girl caught herself as she stumbled, hurrying to catch up with Matska as she led her deeper into the forest. Pushing branches out of her face and ignoring the urge to huff, she listened closely and looked around as Matska came to a sudden halt before her. She copied Matska’s movements and crouched down behind a bush and saw a man far in the distance, drunkenly stumbling around, smacking against the trees trying to keep himself upright.

“Guarding is quite simple, it’s in the name after all. Catch your prey and guard it as you go in for the kill. You don’t want anyone else swooping in as you're about to sink your fangs in, to rip them from your arms, do you?” She waited for Mircalla to shake her head before continuing “It's a technique used when there are more vampires in an area than usual and usually vampires will go after their own prey but to be careful of one snatching bait from your hands, drag your prey into a bush if you have to.”

“Why can’t we share our prey, is there not enough blood in the human body to feed at least two of our kind?” Mircalla inquired, genuine curiosity in her voice.

“We don’t share, period”

“Your advice from earlier and now is kindly received. May we take leave now?” Mircalla asked and stood up when Matska did the same.

“No. We’re going to put those words into action. I will take the right, you take the left. Move fast to reach him because I won’t hold back” Matska warned but lied through her teeth as she moved to hide in another bush and stayed there, watching Mircalla intensely as she stalked towards the man.

The man slid down the bark of a tree, laughing at nothing, his legs failing to keep him walking. Mircalla listened to her words, instead of going for a direct approach, she walked directly behind the tree. Matska was beginning to wonder where she was going when she saw a hand reach around and grasp the man’s neck. She twisted it to the side as the rest of her body slinked around the tree and buried her fangs in his neck. Matska stood up and started walking towards her, clapping her hands for Mircalla in recognition of a good kill as she drew closer.

She stopped smirking abruptly when Mircalla did something unexpected. She moved away from the man’s neck and looked up at Matska, smiling with blood smeared along her face, and nodded back to the man’s neck, where the puncture mark’s allowed the blood to pour out, indicating for Matska to taste. Matska stared astonished at her first, never before had she been offered to share a kill, let alone hear of a vampire doing such a thing.

She shook her head but Mircalla wouldn’t take no for an answer and grabbed the other woman’s hand, dragging her down onto her knees. Being so close to the smell of blood, she couldn’t help herself and resumed Mircalla’s spot as the other girl grabbed the man’s wrist and sunk her fangs in there. It was a surreal act for both parties, feeding on the same human together, it was bonding, in a twisted way.

They left for home after that. Mircalla jokingly pushing her along the way resulting in a chase filled with giggles and laughs, it was freeing to Matska. She hadn’t felt happiness in so long not since-. She stopped messing with Mircalla after memories she had buried, under passing years, resurfaced. The pain radiating from the necklace back into her chest, almost crippling her.

Mircalla watched as a blank expression settled itself on Matska’s face and the atmosphere around them shifting entirely. She tried calling out to her but the woman ignored her and kept on walking. She stayed back a bit from Matska, letting her lead the way, not wanting to pester her, she knew what would happen if she pressed Matska when she was in a mood.

They returned to the house in silence with one of the maids greeting them and directing them into Maman’s den, the woman wanting them summoned into her presence upon their return. For the past few weeks, when she was not training Mircalla, she had been infecting girls with the beginnings of the angler fish infection. They would soon be ready to meet the beast. Her work had not gone unnoticed with a note delivered to her mansion when she returned home earlier in the evening. There was nothing but an address and a ‘gratitude for your persisted work’ written on the letter inside.

Mircalla knocked on the door and when acknowledgement reached her ears, she opened it, steeping inside with Matska. Lilita rounded the table and leant against it. She grabbed hold of Mircalla’s hand rubbing her thumb along her knuckles in a comforting manner.

“I am sending you both on a trip” Lilita said.

“Where to?” Matska asked, Mircalla glanced in her direction hearing the gruffness in her voice and looking crest fallen thinking she was the cause.

“Up North. I have something I need collecting.”

Matska scoffed “I thought we already had an agreement I wouldn’t be bothered for over a year and yet you continue to do so.”

Lilita took a deep breath before answering her eldest “Since you refused to take part in my ‘work’, as of right now, it falls to me to complete it. Now we can either swap tasks and you may take over my position, one you have strongly pointed out you hold no joys about, or you can go on this trip and find some enjoyment along the way. The choice is yours, Rook”

After mulling it over, Matska raised her head “When do we leave?”

Lilita gleamed “Tonight. After you’ve both cleaned up, of course.”

They both left the den after that, Matska heading to sulk in her room and Mircalla going to the washroom. She had no idea what awaited her daughter’s. If someone had possession of her address, she didn’t worry, too much, that she was sending them into harm’s way and even if they were to encounter danger they could defend themselves.

After they were both washed up and clothed once more, they were sent off in the carriage. Mircalla was anxious at leaving Styria but couldn’t help but be excited at the fact she was traveling to and discovering a new place. Matska had to listen to just how excited she was. For the whole trip. It wasn’t until she kicked the girl in the shin did she quieten down.

It had taken over a day and a half to finally arrive at their destination. When they exited the carriage they found themselves in front of a Victorian designed house, situated in the middle of a busy street. The sky above them, dark and threatening a down pour of rain at any moment. Matska went first, wanting to get this business quickly wrapped up while Mircalla stood rotted to her spot looking around at all the different buildings and the people who passed her. It wasn’t until she felt a pull on the scruff of her collar, Matska dragging her towards the door, did her legs find themselves moving again.

Matska knocked on the door and they waited until a woman opened it, half ajar seizing them up before opening it up fully and ushering them inside. It was damp and cold inside the house, with very little decoration.

“My Master is finishing his latest piece. You can find him through that door” The maid pointed to a wooden door, past the staircase, at the end of the hallway.

They nodded their thanks and made their way down the hall. Matska didn’t believe in knocking this time opting to barge right in startling the artist inside. She recognized him right away. Giovanni Barquai, an Italian painter who had moved to Austria during his apprenticeship and stayed in the city after he had been granted his qualifications. The last time she had seen him, he was merely a young boy but now a middle aged man sat before her.

He had been taught by a centuries old vampire, one who had been discovered by the boy’s father while in disguise as an artist for the Pope and in exchange for help and shelter, he had the vampire take his son on as an apprentice, well, that was the story she was told. Business had gone slack in the following years and the artist painted less and less. With less revenue, Giovanni had to move and the cheapest accommodation affordable was the one he lived in now. The move had been quiet, with only his former mentor knowing of his new location. He had been worried Lilita would not come to collect her gift, knowing she would not recognize the address. Giovanni’s old mentor called upon him to paint portraits for the clan every now and again and one such portrait was his latest piece, that of Lilita Morgan.

He knew his mentor had kept the letter brief but how brief, he did not know. He feared Lilita would either come, out of curiosity, or not at all. He found himself stumped with the ladies in his house not having expected Lilita to send someone else in her place to handle her private business.

He got up to greet them, eagerly shaking hands with both the vampires and led them over to the portrait they were there to collect. The painting showed Lilita stabbing two girls, nude and spear in hand. The actual portrait idea came from one of the board members. A sort of premonition one of them had of Lilita, with the board thinking it was to do with the girls that would be sacrificed in twenty years time, they agreed to the gift.

“It’s beautiful” Mircalla said, entranced by the portrait and reached out to touch it but had her hand batted away by Matska.

“Magnifico, no? It was not that difficult, though I did hold worry of its reception.”

“Was it difficult to paint Maman without her here sitting for you?” Mircalla asked.

“No. I understand Lilita is a woman with little holding of time. I drew merely from memory. It has been a long time since I have gazed upon those features but they are one’s I will never forget” He seemed to drift off into his thoughts after that until Matska cleared her throat.

“Yes, yes quite lovely. Now if you could package this up I would really like to get back on the road” Matska instructed and ignored the pleading looks Mircalla sent her way.

“Of course” He took the painting from the standing canvas and took it into another room, looking around for some brown paper.

While he was getting the portrait ready, Matska began looking around at the other pieces the artist had painted. They were all beautiful, some of entire families with children playing around happily in front of their parents. The portraits painted of women alone drew her in deeper. The way he captured the beauty of the women was remarkable. She came across another portrait that made her eyes slightly widen. She couldn’t help but compare the woman to Lolena. They both had red curly hair, pale skin and the jaw line was a near exact match. The only difference being the girl in the picture had freckles and blue eyes. She couldn’t help but wonder how he would capture her lost love in a portrait.

“Now, it’s all bundled up. Please be careful, I would hate for damage to befall it before Lilita could cast eyes upon her gift” Giovanni said, re-entering the room.

Making sure Mircalla was preoccupied looking at another painting, Matska approached him with her idea in mind. Re-telling him of all Lolena’s features. She could still see the girl clearly in her mind and it was easy to describe her except for having to ignore the stabbing pain radiating from the necklace that accompanied it.

He nodded his head “I will start right away. It should not take longer than three weeks. A month at most.”

She nodded her thanks and took the painting from him. They turned to leave when the maid came bursting into the room.

“My apologies, my ladies, it would seem you will not be able to set off on your journey home this evening. There has just been a strike of lighting and thunder, your carriage driver has refused to ride in this weather and has gone to the inn down the end of the street for the night. The storm is set to pass over us through the night and the morning should be dry” The maid said, keeping her eyes downcast.

Matska huffed “I have not planned for an overnight stay. Where are we meant to rest?”

“You can stay here” Giovanni shooed the maid from the room “Get the room’s upstairs ready. I want them to be satisfactory for our guests.”

The maid hurried off to fulfill her orders while Mircalla thanked Giovanni. Matska had tried to put some distance between the rooms two other occupants, moving over to be near the door. She hated it, the feeling coursing through her. Vulnerability. Lolena had managed to draw it from her when they were together and after years of separation, it seemed she could still reduce Matska to a love struck being. She hated the weakness of it, all from recalling a few of her details, she needed space to build her exterior back up.

She knew nothing good would come of Mircalla walking towards, she knew it was concern the girl was feeling for her but she couldn’t handle speaking right now. A sensitive part for her was trudged up and she couldn’t cope with discussing that part of her life. A part, which she hadn’t dealt with but ignored it and covered it over in rampage and rivers of blood.

“Matska, you look ill, are you feeling alright?” She received no answer, only a turning of a head as the other woman looked towards the door, readying herself to bolt.

“Did Giovanni day something to distress you?” Mircalla was unknowingly intruding on a delicate area and didn’t seem to acknowledge the looks now being sent her way, of fear and anger.

“Leave” Matska muttered.

“Pardon?”

“Leave me be” Matska shouted, startling Mircalla enough into taking a few steps back.

Matska could feel herself emotionally start to disentangle. She needed to leave. She needed to get out of this room and fast before she took out years of pure heart ache on the houses occupants. When she saw Mircalla step forward with her hand out stretched as if she was going to comfort Matska, she let loose a terrifying howl. It vibrated deep within Mircalla’s and Giovanni’s ears, crippling them onto the floor in agony. The sound bounced off the walls and rattled the windows. It eventually died out and once it did, she ran.

* * *

 

 

After Matska’s exit and her ear’s stopped ringing, Mircalla drew to her feet. She checked Giovanni over and once he assured her he was fine, she left in search for Matska.

Unfortunately, she had departed just as the heaven’s themselves opened and poured down, drenching her clothes into her body. It didn’t help with navigation either as she couldn’t even see her hands in front of her. She continued on, not knowing where she was going or where Matska had run off to, just knowing she needed to find her sister before the woman did something silly. She searched for hours, peeping in windows and listening intently, just how she was taught, for any signs of Matska’s prowling or maybe even rampage, but found no trace. It was deep into the night when she thought about scaling back but carried on as she couldn’t even remember the street the carriage stopped at.

Luckily, she had seemed to have done a full circle of the town and arrived back on the street they arrived at, Giovanni’s house right in her sight. She called time on her search, she would resume in the morning if her sister did not reappear first, that is.

The same maid from before greeted her and tried to started stripping her free of her wet clothing. She was left standing in her undergarments as she grumbled to the maid about her search for Matska yielding no results only for the maid to stand back and stare at her dumb founded.

“Miss, she arrived back at the house a little over an hour ago.”

Mircalla sneered “Where is she?”

“Upstairs, but Miss-” Mircalla tore up the stairs, not catching the end of the maid’s sentence telling her, her sister not having arrived back alone.

The rest of the rooms upstairs were opened except for one on the right. She guessed that was the one Matska was behind. She opened the door and was readying herself for a full on confrontation with Matska but immediately froze at what awaited her.

Matska hovered, naked, over another woman, who was also naked, coaxing moans from her. She could see Matska’s hand moving between the woman’s legs as her other hand roughly groped the woman’s breast.

They didn’t seem to have heard her enter and Mircalla found herself entirely too fascinated by the sight to think of taking leave. She had once heard of women interacting like this from Lilita and had heard the women were stoned to death. She knew it was to be considered immoral and disgusting but couldn’t find any of those feelings in regards to the act before her, if anything she found herself feeling jealous but couldn’t understand why.

The woman lulled her head to the side, moaning into the pillow, in pleasure, when she opened her eyes and found Mircalla’s own staring back at her over Matska’s shoulder she screamed and pushed Matska off her. Quickly tugging on her clothes, she ran from the room and out of the house.

“Thank you, Mircalla” Matska sighed and moved underneath the sheet, covering her nude body from Mircalla’s eyes.

“What…I…em, who-,” Mircalla blabbered, forgetting about the fact she was furious about searching for said woman for hours and ended up saturated in the process.

“Matska, I don’t understand-”

“Nor do you need to” Matska snapped.

When Matska had left the house, she had hid in an alley down the street. Almost in hysterics as she was confronted with old emotions, all because of a little re-telling of an old flame’s face to an artist and also because of the necklace, hanging around her neck, causing her continues stabbing pain. The necklace was acting as it was supposed to, protecting her from weakness, helping to aid her in immortality, immortality that included protection against heart break. The necklace held her heart and if the pain was any indication, Lolena had never left it.

A woman had stepped into the alley, throwing out leftover’s in a pot and approached Matska when she saw her crouched down. Matska held no feelings toward wanting to feed. Instead, she needed something, or someone, to unleash her frustrations onto. The woman comforting her was her best choice. With a few sweet words and some gentle touches, she was batting the woman off her to get them in the front door of Giovanni’s house.

“Matska that sort of behavior isn’t right.”

She looked at the girl before her, such innocence glowed from every pore, from eyes, from face and now words.

She couldn’t help but laugh “Darling, you’re a vampire. I hardly think you can state what is right from wrong anymore.”

“I do know it is wrong to love women”

“Firstly, I do not love women. I _fuck_ them and secondly, why is it you think it wrong? Did you see something positively ghastly when you were catching an eyeful? Or did you merely see two people in the middle of sex, which, by the way, you so rudely interrupted” Matska could see the way her words were being received with the expression Mircalla was throwing her way. She could also see something else that made her rethink her next words.

“Did you find yourself longing, Mircalla? To be the one touching the woman, be the reason for her moans and cries of passion.”

“Stop it!” Mircalla demanded.

“No, not until you look me in the eye and tell me you did not feel even the slightest tug of lust for that woman.”

She gave it to Mircalla, when the girl was being taught she soaked everything in, including the manner in which she was taught, Matska’s cheek, shining through, as Mircalla raised her eyes to meet her’s and lied through her teeth “No. I didn’t feel anything of the sort.”

She patted the edge of the bed, indicating for Mircalla to take a seat. She would have to use a gentler approach for this teaching lesson.

“I have lived through hundreds of years and if I am going to learn one thing from them, it’s that, whomever you choose to bed, having an open mind can lead to great pleasures. Yes, society refuses to accept it or even acknowledge such things exist but, Mircalla, if you find yourself holding such desires within you, act on them but do it discreetly just like when you feed” Mircalla remained quiet, staring intently at the floor.

“I…um….I think I’m going to turn in for the night” Mircalla said and got up to leave.

“Mircalla” Matska called after her and when she turned around she smirked “If you ever barge in on me while I’m entertaining a guest again. I will make sure you won’t be able to hunt for days.”

Mircalla laughed. The threat, if it could even be called that, was just another unfilled one she could add with the others that Matska had thrown her way. It settled the atmosphere back down to an easiness between the two but what Matska had said got her thinking.

* * *

 

 

“After everything I have done for you! This is how I am repaid! I give you food, clothing, shelter, not to mention the gift I bestowed upon you” Bai Gang roared, sweeping cups and pot from the table with his hand and sending them flying in the direction of the wall, shattering on impact.

Lolena wiped the tears that spilled over her cheeks “I apologize, I never meant to give you thought of disrespect. I cannot handle any of this anymore.”

In respect to Lolena, she didn’t back away when Bai Gang came storming toward her and stood face to face with her. His breath hot upon her face. “Handle what?”

She gestured wildly around the room “This! Getting inside someone’s head, as you have me practice and manipulate them. All I wish for is a normal life, free from everything magical or unnatural beings of the world”

“Were you thinking of normal while fucking a vampire?” His nostrils flared “Is she the cause of this thinking?”

She sighed “No. She is not.”

“Fine, Leave. But know this” He said, pointing his finger at her “Matska won’t be waiting for your return, especially not with open arms. She has already moved on and has committed even more heinous crimes now that she isn’t on that strict leash you were keeping her _tamed_ on.”

Lolena narrowed her eyes “As I’ve already said, this is not about Matska. This is about me, for a change and how I wish to try and live my life as normally as I can after your so called gift.” She thought about his previous statement “Even if I were to leave because of Matska, why am I to believe such things you speak of?”

He laughed “I still correspond regularly with Lilita. Oh, how she raves of her daughter.”

She took a deep breath “I’m leaving, Bai Gang. Nothing is going to change that. Thank you for everything you’ve taught me.”

With that she pushed past him, not stopping to spare a second glance at the place she called home for years. She slid back the temple doors, letting the morning air blow gently on her now heated skin and made her way down the steps and through the village.

She would finally begin her life. A life without the control of masters or manipulation of powers. A life that wouldn’t tear through her trying to get over lost loves and failing miserably. For her own sanity she knew she had to close that chapter of her life. She had a chance to see the new discoveries of the world and she was going to take it.

 

 

 


	4. Electra in Paris

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I've said before, this story concept came from Boss at Simgm. If you haven't already, check out her amazing spoofs here: https://www.youtube.com/user/SimgmProductions

They ran quickly, falling back once or twice to tease the mob chasing them. The sound of shouting and screaming slowly fading with every corner and bend they took. Their laughter filling the night as they reached the forest. They disappeared through the trees, taking sharp turns as not to hit off the twirling tree barks.

They stopped as they reached a clearing deep in the forest. The moon casting a shine of light down on them, lighting up the small space enough so that they could see the others face clearly. They wore identical matching grins as blood poured down their chins. Some of it having already dried and was caked into their cheeks.

“A pity that we didn’t show those chasing us just how bad of an idea that was.” Matska said, bringing her hand up to her mouth and licking the blood from her fingers.

Mircalla kicked at a loose tree root sticking up from the ground. “As much fun as that would be, I think slaughtering an entire village would bring about too much suspicion. Don’t you agree?”

Not answering her, Matska began to strip of her clothing and kicked the blood soaked dress in front of her, Mircalla doing the same. Standing back bedside Mircalla, Matska nodded her head. Mircalla concentrated on the rags and soon a fire com-busted from the pile, burning the clothes into ashes.

“You’re getting better at that.” Matska observed.

“I had a good teacher.” Mircalla cocked her head to the side and smiled at her.

“Flattery will only get you so far, darling.” Matska said, turning to face Mircalla and cupping her chin.

Mircalla pushed her hand away, moving out of her grasp, slightly annoyed. “Maman will be unpleased if we don’t arrive home soon.”

Matska was readying herself to retort but decided against it. While she wouldn’t be punished, she was sure Lilita would not spare Mircalla the same fate. She doubted Mircalla would survive it. They trekked through the rest of the forest in their undergarments. The forest was notoriously known for wild animals and while they could fight them, neither Matska nor Mircalla wanted to fight a pack of wolves because they smelled blood.

They walked in silence, Carmilla slightly leading, wanting to get home quickly. From her place and with help from the light shining down, Matska looked at Mircalla’s shadow. Its black shade morphed from human to that of a large cat. It wouldn’t be long now, Matska thought. Mircalla would soon shift and from the looks of it, she would have to deal with cat hairs. Great.

* * *

 

 

They had been on the road for over a week. There had been many stops, resting overnight in the houses of acquaintances and Matska was thankful, the rocking of the carriage was making her nauseous.

They were headed to France, Paris specifically. Lilita had to settle up some business there and brought Mircalla and Matska along as some troubles had started back in Austria, thanks to Vordenberg. They heard, through the grape-vine, the man was trying to gather some outside reinforcements to try and take down the council. He had already managed to stake six young-ish vampires and the board was now actively searching to eliminate him. They were having a hard time pin-pointing him to one location.

Matska had wanted to join the hunt, excitement building at the idea she would be the one to rip his head off and thought she could go out in secret too with Lilita going away on business but the woman seemed to sense what Matska was thinking and had the maids prepare her bags for the trip. It would be Matska’s twelfth time visiting the city and Mircalla’s first.

The carriage stopped in front of an old mansion. Maids and butlers greeted them the moment they stepped out, taking their bags and guiding them inside. Mircalla and Matska would take the two bedrooms in the upper east side of the mansion and Lilita would stay in the upper west side.

They followed the help up the footpath where a man was waiting to greet them at the front door. She didn’t recognize him, then again she didn’t recognize much of the people they stayed with while on the road with Lilita.

“Lilita. Welcome. Come in, come in.” He said, ushering Lilita inside and ignoring the other two visitor’s behind her.

Mircalla looked at her, vexed at the man’s disrespect but Matska shook her off. He wasn’t worth it.

They made their way up the grand staircase, looking at the old paintings lining the walls as they went. A maid was waiting for them in the hallway, guiding them into their own, respected, bedrooms. Mircalla on the left and Matska on the right.

She pulled on the buttons of her dress and slid it off her body, stepping over it, she went straight into the washroom. She washed up promptly, the cold water perking her up after the long trip.

When she walked back into her room she found Lilita sitting on the bed, waiting for her. She frowned but said nothing. She went over to her bag and started rummaging inside for a suitable dress and her undergarments.

“Wear the red dress, it will be appropriate for this evening.”

Matska pulled said dress out of the bag. “What festivities are planned for this evening?”

“Nicolas has rented us a booth at the theater.”

Matska walked over to the full length mirror, sliding into the dress as Lilita stood up and walked behind her. “Oh how nice, considering he brushed off my presence earlier.” Matska sneered. “What play is showing?”

Lilita grabbed hold of the strings on the back and started pulling. Tightly.

“Electra.”

“I trust the actors are tolerable this time unlike the last rendition of the play. That was a fiasco unlike any other.” Matska grunted as the built-in corset of the dress pressed into her uncomfortably.

“Nicolas and I will have a series of negotiations to attend to after the play. I trust you will return here, with Mircalla, when the play ends.” She tied the silk strings into tidy bows.

Matska hummed, not giving her a proper answer.

Her eyes caught Lilita’s in the mirror. The older woman leveling her with a hard glare. “I do not want to hear of any disorder while I’m away, is that understood?”

As much as she hated to give in, especially to Lilita, it did get the woman out of the room faster.

“Yes.”

“Good. Now that we are in agreement, I’ll leave you to finish getting ready.”

With that Lilita took leave, stopping to pat Mircalla’s cheek, who had been standing in the doorway and gave her a tentative smile. She by-passed her youngest and once she was out of sight, Mircalla stepped into the room shutting the door closed behind her.

Mircalla took a seat on the edge of the bed. “Have you heard?”

“That we’re going to the theater? Maman was just informing me.”

She watched Mircalla pick at the blanket lining her bed through the mirror. “It’s a kind sentiment but I do not care much for the man.”

“Nicolas?”

Mircalla nodded.

“Why should you?” she asked and turned around from the mirror.

“I should always show respect to Maman’s _associates_.”

“Again, I must ask why?”

Mircalla never raised her eyes. “Maman told me too, that and they house and feed us while we share roof with them.”

Matska laughed at the naivety of it. “Mircalla these people are merely contacts forged through bonds long ago. It is their duty to do such things for us. If you’re not fond of their presence do not pretend you are.”

“Yes, I know but-”

“But nothing. You are a vampire, Mircalla. You ooze power that these people could only dream of possessing. Never forget, you are above them. Do not let any of them twist your thoughts to make you think or feel otherwise.”

Through her speech Matska was muddled, she didn’t know whether she was giving Mircalla advice or reminding herself of her own past words she used as her driving force.

Being over eight hundred years old, she had borne witness and lived through countless times where people tried to do exactly the same to her. The same people had been left with their jaws literally on the floor after uttering such words from ignorant mouths.

“I wanted to, earlier.” Mircalla said timidly, “I wanted to put that man in his place. I was readying myself too but you discouraged me.”

Matska rolled her eyes and took a seat beside her. “For starters taking him out wasn’t a good plan. For one, Maman was right there and secondly, the man’s alliance was forged through the board. I agree Nicolas should have been on his knees welcoming us but instead the man showed clear disrespect. I’m not disputing that but you need to learn what people you put in their place and whom you leave be.”

Mircalla thought about it for a moment before nodding in understanding.

“Don’t think about it too hard Mircalla, I can see steam coming out your ears.” She teased, nudging her shoulders against her sister’s. “Come. We still have to get you ready.”

“Can we see Paris tonight?”

Matska thought about the warning Lilita had given her moments before, she smirked.

“Of course.”

* * *

 

 

They sat on the highest balcony overlooking the stage and crowd below. Matska and Mircalla sitting in the front row with Nicolas and Lilita reading over documents behind them.

Matska was none too pleased with Mircalla’s excitement, having to pull the girl back from the balcony on more than one occasion. Falling from such height to the ground below and have the ability to get back up again without a scratch, would arouse some questions. She managed to wrangle some Opera glasses from the couple in the both next to them, though they didn’t need them, just to give Mircalla the full theater experience.

She felt a hand on her shoulder as Lilita leaned forward. “I’m afraid I’ll have to leave sooner than expected. Enjoy the rest of the play and I meant what I said earlier, straight back to the mansion with the both of you once the curtains close.”

She turned her head and pressed a kiss to Mircalla’s cheek. When the door to their box closed Mircalla wiped it off with the sleeve of her dress and became enthralled with the play once more.

“It’s tragic is it not?”

“Darling, you commit far more horrendous murders on a night of feeding than this play could produce.”

Mircalla shook her head. “That may be, but right now we get to know the story and relate to the characters.” Her eyes glazed over in astonishment. “It connects you to them, makes you feel the same passing that marks their deaths.”

“You’re honestly enjoying this, aren’t you?” Matska asked.

Mircalla looked at her. “It’s beautiful Matska. Can you not feel the sadness the characters manage to convey with simple words and expressions?”

“It loses its touch after seeing it for the fiftieth time acted out.”

Mircalla ignored her and went back to the scene now being played out on stage.

She envied Mircalla in a way. The girl was seeing everything she had already lived through for the first time. She wanted to experience that same rush again. Branching out and learning about something new, how those feelings stirred within her but now were dull and boring. She had seen and read almost everything this life had to offer and noted it was all full of repetition, including the same dramatic love stories.

Mircalla gave her that chance. To live over again. She could see the girl’s emotions play out clear as day on her face when she was experiencing something new, it was all fresh to her. Yes, she too would soon tire of it but for now maybe Matska could learn to appreciate such things once more.

The play had ended and as promised Matska showed her Paris. She took her to old buildings such one’s that once acted as an academy for future artists and sculptors. Then led her down narrowing streets, warning the girl to hold her nose as they passed, the French having yet to figure out a proper disposal system as waste coated the pavements.

She showed her the places and things that she once thought went beyond this world’s allure. Mircalla did not disappoint in her reaction.

They encountered interesting characters while touring. Men grabbing woman and throwing them over their shoulders or participating in affection publicly, something Mircalla gawked at. Matska laughed at her reaction and then again later when a woman approached Mircalla trying to engage her in the same happening’s going on around them. Mircalla blushed deeply and shook her head. It gave Matska an idea.

“Come on.” She said, grabbing hold of Mircalla’s elbow.

“Where are we going now?” Mircalla asked, mostly to herself as every place Matska had brought her to that night had yet to disappoint.

Matska ignored her and soon she was led to a beautiful building with large balcony’s that gave view to the entire city and pink drapes covering the walls.

Matska knocked on the door and a woman in a low fitting dress answered. She whispered to the woman in French and the two of them were ushered inside.

The inside was decorated in red furnishings, with cloth of the same color covering benches and seats that were situated around the room. Drapes, similar to the ones covering the building, hung low off the ceiling acting as a sort of path to the marble staircase that split into two directions.

Women walked around the lobby, practically naked, some even completely nude.

“What is this place Matska?” Mircalla whispered in her ear.

“A place to have some fun in.” she smirked, “A brothel.”

Mircalla kept her eyes on the ground not daring to glance around. “Why did you bring me here?”

“This is the safest place for this business. This brothel is visited by only the richest citizens of Paris so there is no fear of diseases like the whores on the streets carry.” Matska explained.

“I don’t mean that, why bring me to a brothel. I hold no interest in laying with a woman.”

“Is that so?” Matska asked.

“Yes.”

“Tell me Mircalla is that spot on the floor very interesting? It’s been the only thing that’s kept your attention since we’ve walked in.”

Mircalla blushed and growled “Quiet! Please.”

The woman who had let them in came to stand in front of them.

“How can I help you ladies?” she asked them.

“I’m looking for a distraction this evening. Do you have a girl who may be able to help with that?”

“I have just the girl and for your friend here.” She looked Mircalla up and down. “What are you looking for, dear?”

“She’s okay for the time being.” Matska answered for her.

“A shy one, is she?” the woman teased. “I have some girls who would fawn over such a timid little thing.”

“Maybe later, if she changes her mind.” She handed the woman money from her purse and a little extra encase Mircalla did spot a girl. “What room will I be in?”

“Upstairs, the fourth door on the left. It’s at the very end you can’t miss it.”

Matska gave her thanks and headed up leaving Mircalla below with the Madam of the brothel.

She smirked hearing laughter and squeals coming from the rooms as she walked past them and reached her own. She twisted the knob and pushed the door open her smirk vanishing instantly.

A woman with long auburn hair sat in front of a dresser, her back to Matska, applying some make-up. The woman’s face obscured from view from her place in the doorway. Her feet carried her in, as if of their own accord and shut the door closed, the lock folding down with it.

The woman turned around at the sound, ready to greet her newest client at the same time Matska’s muscles relaxed once more. It had been a long time. She needed to let go. Lolena was more than likely- she couldn’t think it.

The woman sashayed her way toward her, shaking off her robe in the process. She raised her arms behind her back and let it slip to the floor and stood bare in front of Matska.

She cupped Matska’s hand in hers and brought it to her lips. She kissed the back of her hand, lips sliding over each knuckle before sliding it tantalizingly down her throat and settling it on her breast.

“How do you want me?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.

Downstairs, Mircalla was being pawed at by the courtesan’s and trying to neglect their advances. It was proving to be quite difficult. They were all speaking French around her and while she was learning the language, thanks to Matska’s incessant pushing, what she could understand had her wishing she couldn’t.

“You’re quite beautiful, do you know that?” one asked rubbing her cheek and the rest nodded in agreement.

“I would have you in my bed without charge.” Another one husked into her ear.

She could feel the heat on her face, burning along her cheeks from their undeterred attention.

“Maybe the girl wishes for cock in place instead of fingers, did any of you think that?” One of the girls shouted over from the bar.

She moved out from behind the bar and walked toward the group.

“Is that what you want girl?”

Mircalla didn’t know what the woman was saying, she spoke too quickly for Mircalla to catch what she said, but from the looks on the faces of the girl’s around her it was obviously disrespectful to her. She remembered Matska’s words from earlier. Was this what her sister was talking about?

She gave the woman a second chance and ignored her, turning her face in the opposite direction. The woman made a grave mistake when she caught Mircalla by the throat. She was trying to turn the girl back to face her so she could taunt the girl more, when she turned Mircalla’s face back she was left staring wide-eyed at two extended fangs.

Upstairs, the woman was lying with Matska settled between her legs. She was kissing along her jaw line when the woman pushed her back to look in her eyes.

“J'ai envie de toi.” She husked at the same time loud screeches, too painful in manner to be considered pleasure, reached both their ears.

Matska jumped off her and was out the door before the woman blinked.

She followed the screams down the stairs and stopped at the sight before her.

Mircalla had the woman from before pushed up against the wall, fangs sunk deep into her neck, luckily for the woman not puncturing her jugular as the rest of the girls huddled into a corner on the other side of the room. She screamed her name and Mircalla turned around to face her, still holding the woman up. She could hear the doors opening up the stairs, customers coming out to see what the commotion was. She knew they had to get out of there and fast.

She ran toward Mircalla, grabbed her and went out the door. She pushed her speed faster than she had ever gone before and stopped when they were at the front door of the mansion. Her only thoughts were of getting Mircalla as far away from the scene as possible. She opened the door and stepped inside, listening out for any signs of Lilita in the house before she made another move.

Finding none, she tugged Mircalla up to the bedroom she called hers for the visit.

Once the door was shut she had Mircalla pushed against it. “What were you even thinking?”

“She disrespected me. You told me to put her in her place.”

She had a point. Matska let her go. “How did she disrespect you?”

“I couldn’t understand, I didn’t recognize the words.” She shrugged. “But judging from the looks of the girl’s around me it was intended to be spiteful and mocking.”

“Well then. If I knew of this information earlier I would have helped finish the bitch off.”

Mircalla shook her head. “I wanted only to warn her not kill.”

“And that is what exactly will get you into trouble. You’re too tolerant of humans.”

Mircalla raised her eyebrow. “Like Hypocrisy doesn’t ring through in your words. Paying off the Madam for one of her girls just for a tussle of fun.”

“That reminds me. Do you know how much you cost me tonight?” Mircalla shook her head. “Nothing actually, it was Maman’s money.”

She started laughing and soon Mircalla joined in. They stopped and Matska rubbed the blood from Mircalla’s chin.

“We’ll have to clean that before Maman returns or else she’ll smell it on you.”

Mircalla nodded and bayed her goodnight before leaving for her own room.

Matska laid down on the bed for a while, her thoughts running wild and free, usually they were kept locked up tight. What reason was there to go deep into such thoughts? It left her open for attack and only served to stir up past emotions. Emotions that had no real need in being brought up. She thought about what Lilita would do to Mircalla once she found out the girl almost outed them tonight.

Losing herself in her thoughts is what caused her to leave newly changed Mircalla alone with those girls. As much as she told herself she brought Mircalla to that brothel to help the girl out with her struggling desires, she knew deep down she was doing it to defy Lilita.

That’s why the next morning when Lilita returned, dragging them both from their beds and asked them what happened, having heard news of a commotion in the local brothel, she stepped forward and took the blame for Mircalla.

* * *

 

 

Mircalla’s grooming started seven years later. Lilita would bring her out to towns far away from their own mansion and practice with girls there. The trouble was, Mircalla was too shy for her own good. She didn’t know how to approach them and when she managed to find the guts to, Matska would have to stifle a laugh as she watched Mircalla splutter and stammer when merely asking a girl her name.

That had led to a teaching in the art of seduction.

She taught Mircalla just how alluring vampires were. She educated her the basics of touch, scent and mere words to have whomever, they wasted their time on, petty in their hands. Lilita swooped in at the last second when teaching to input her own advice.

“Gaze deep into their eyes as if you were searching for their soul.”

Mircalla did as directed, staring into Lilita’s eyes. It was beyond disturbing to gaze into her Maman’s eyes in such a way. Her thoughts must have shown clearly on her face as Matska chuckled throatily, from where she was watching the scene unfold, relaxed on the chaise.

“What was that? It looked as though you were staring at a chicken being plucked free of its feathers while it was still clucking.”

“As if you could do any better.” Mircalla growled.

“Oh I have and I still do.”

Lilita cupped her chin and pulled her back to look at her. “Focus, Mircalla.”

“I’m trying but it is difficult when my every step is being mocked.” She looked pointedly in Matska’s direction.

“Matska, Out!” Lilita snapped, pointing in the direction of the door.

The woman didn’t protest, removing herself from the room but spearing one last chuckle at Mircalla’s expense while passing her, who, in turn, let another low growl vibrate in her throat at her sister’s mocking.

“Now that there are no distractions I want you to focus.”

“Why must I do this again?” she asked, slumping her shoulders.

Lilita immediately corrected her stance, smacking her up straight. “You were chosen by the council for this very prestige role. It’s an honor and you should take care to remember that.”

“Why must I befriend girls though? And what exactly is my function? Did the council tell you what they were going to do with the girls? Did they tell you why they chose me?”

“Enough!” she roared. Silencing Mircalla instantly. She loosened slightly, giving her daughter a gleaming grin. “You don’t need to hold much thought on the subject it takes focus off your objective and you really don’t want to disappoint the council now do you?” Mircalla needed some time but eventually shook her head. “Good girl, now back to your training.”

They continued on for hours. Mircalla eventually needing rest, after feeding of course. The moment she was out the door, Matska walked back in.

“How long?”

“For what, exactly, are you referring to?”

“How long are you going to let her think that she was, what was it you told her? Oh yes, assigned an objective from the council.” Matska said.

“As long as it takes for her to do her duty for this group. With Mircalla working on these girls it will free up time.” She glanced a look in Matska’s direction, smirking at her expression.

“Your time.”

“Yes, my time. It should be used in an effective manner not to be spent looking for five girls to sacrifice.”

“You are still lying to her.” Matska pointed out.

“Yes on an act she will commit every twenty years, I think it more than qualifies as fair.”

“Why not tell her the truth?” Matska asked.

“I think it is fairly obvious.” It was to her but seeing as how Matska didn’t, she elaborated. “Mircalla is much too tender for her own good. She would never agree to such an act if she knew and while I want to fix that issue of hers, I must leave her be, for now, as time is ticking closer for the next ritual.”

“How do you know when I leave this room I won’t go and tell her exactly what you're having her do?”

Lilita squinted her eyes at her. “If you do that, you can say goodbye to that beautiful portrait of yours.” Matska eyes went wide at the statement. She had hid the portrait away when she had gone to retrieve it, in a secure area or so she thought. “Yes, I know all about your little painting. I’ll make sure you watch, unblinking, as I burn it to ashes before throwing that necklace of yours into the flames alongside it if you ever dare threaten me again.”

Lilita moved behind her desk, pulling some documents out of the drawers there.

“Show yourself out, Rook.”


	5. Pompeii

Three years after her initial grooming, Mircalla was sent off to undertake the beginning of the sacrifice. With Maman’s help, she was allowed entrance into homes easily and without question. After all, who was going to question a naïve beautiful young girl who had nowhere to go while her Mother rushed off to deal with urgent business. Mircalla never knew how Maman found them but there was always only one child, a daughter, in the houses they visited.

She befriended them easily. Using the techniques both Maman and Matska had taught her, she comforted and soothed them when the nightmares would start. It was hard being left alone, in a house full of humans while she was so desperately hungry. She fed on the girls, sinking her fangs into their necks when the infection had helped lull them into a dull state of mind and drank steadily without fight or restraint.

The girls would leave the house of their own accord. They would babble nonsense, run out of the house and off in the dark of the night. Maman warned her not to leave with them. She never had a chance too, her mother would be waiting for her after the girl had fled and would take her to another house, repeating the same practice. She thought she had seen figures lurking outside the house whenever she left with Lilita. Shadows hiding and moving between bushes, red eyes staring intently as she was led away.

She tried talking to her mother when traveling to the next girl’s house. Asking the woman where the girls went and what became of them, the answer was always a swift back hand to the face and a snarl to be quiet. She was accustomed to the smacks now, they started soon after their return from Paris. She asked about Matska, straining her mother for any information on her sister. Being away from the other girl for so long was disheartening. She missed her quick remarks and their conversations. She received no answer only silence until they got to the next house.

After the five girls were collected, she returned home. Home. The mansion wasn’t home. While she did live there, there was nothing but coldness seeping through the walls and hugging her tightly. The only thing making it somewhat appealing was the fact she was left to her own devices there. She read whatever she wanted and did as she pleased. It wasn’t enough. She wanted to travel, to leave the mansion and see what earthly items this world had to show but alas she wasn’t allowed to leave the mansion.

While she had been delighted in being reunited with Matska, the excitement soon wore off when they were both fighting for their own sanity and getting on the others nerves. The council had underestimated Vordenberg’s influence and now Austria was swarming with vampire hunters. They couldn’t leave the house encase of an attack. Well, Mircalla couldn’t. She was still young and a simple stake could end her. Matska on the other hand, she didn’t sit back.

She waited until the darkest hours of the night and left to stalk them. The hunters became the hunted as she perched and jumped from tree to tree and watched them scavenge the forest for vampires. Idiots. They weren’t entirely animals, they did like to have roof over their heads. She would kill them off, one by one, the group getting smaller and smaller until one remained. She tortured him, asking where Vordenberg was holding up but the man was resilient and kept quiet until she granted him death but not before making him suffer first. Matska had brought a body, she had savagely torn apart, back and let Mircalla drink, the girl was starting to lose strength.

The council had called a meeting, which was hard to do considering the situation and told them to evacuate Austria, at least for the time being. Many others had already left giving Vordenberg the impression he had rid Austria of more vampires than he thought. Lilita would be allowed passage back with Mircalla to repeat the ritual but would have to leave immediately after it was completed. Then came the decision, Lilita thought the meeting only as a suggestion and stayed in Austria.

Instead of leaving, Mircalla waited. Cooped up in the house for another twenty years until the sacrifice had to be done again. Being locked up for so long made her connect with the girls this time around. She listened to stories from their childhood and dreams they held, similar to her own of wanting to travel and experience life’s very essence. Lilita wasn’t happy about the news and once the fifth girl was collected she decided to take Carmilla away from Austria. Matska, Carmilla and herself would travel to Rome. She made the preparations all they had to do was depart.

It had taken weeks of traveling. This time around there wasn’t much stopping to stay with ‘relatives’ but carrying on into the night.

“I have heard news that they have started excavating a site near the bay of Naples.” Lilita said absentmindedly, trying to start a conversation in the previously silent filled carriage.

Carmilla raised her head from her book. Anything ‘new’ happening in the world always managed to enthrall her. “What have been their findings so far?”

“Their previous findings included the city of Herculaneum, they think they’ve now found a new city, inward.”

Carmilla sat forward, yearning for more on the topic. “How can an entire city be buried?”

“A Volcano erupted.” Matska joined in tearing her head away from looking at the surroundings out the square frame. “Somma-Vesusvius, I believe it was called. It covered the surrounding towns and cities.”

“You knew of such a city existing before now, before excavation?”

“I knew only of what I’ve been told and it wasn’t exactly from a trustworthy source.” She smirked and spared a glance in Lilita’s direction. “You should ask Maman more on the subject, after all, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was there the day it erupted.”

Carmilla hid a smirk behind her hand as Lilita whipped around to glare at her oldest. “What exactly are you suggesting, Matska?”

“Nothing at all.” Matska retorted and resumed looking out the window.

Carmilla was desperate to ask more questions but remained silent. If she tried prying for information now in this tense atmosphere, she had no doubt it would lead to being snapped at. She sighed and sat back in her seat, picking up her book and re-reading the pages again.

They arrived a few days later. Stopping in Tuscany with talks of traveling further down south to check the progress on the excavation site. It had been a long time since Matska had been there. Her wondering eyes taking in the new sights and memories coming back in waves from catching sight of the things that stayed the same. The buildings had seen better days but the structure kept them standing tall and proud. She gave it to the Romans, they were a race far more advanced than the rest and it showed in their inventions and buildings.

She stayed up late into the night, looking out the window as Mircalla got ready for bed. They would be sharing a room for a few nights before they moved on. When Mircalla was finished turning down the bed sheet, she picked back up her candle, hovering her hand around its flame as not to out it with her movement and took a seat on the window sill, directly across from Matska.

“A city far beyond its time.” Mircalla commented, looking out at the city before her.

“Many things have changed since I last visited.”

Matska rarely talked about her past. She always chose her words carefully, even around Mircalla and when she did allow mentions of past times part from her lips, Mircalla always yearned for more, sometimes Matska divulged but most of the time she kept her lips closed and ignored Mircalla’s questions as if she never uttered them.

“What was it like?”

Matska looked at her, internally debating whether or not to say anything more before turning back to look out the window. “The Spaniard was in charge at the time.”

“Who?”

“Pope Alexander but I, and many others, knew him simply as Rodrigo Borgia. He and his family were quite a scandal. They filled the Church with darkness through acts of murder and corruption.”

“Did you know of them, personally, I mean?” Mircalla asked, placing the candle down on the window, lighting up the space between them, seeing each other more clearly.

“Yes, mainly Lucrezia but even that was only to procure a ring for her.” Matska chuckled thinking of the memory. “She would trickle some poison, from the ring, into the drink of a person whom the family was scheming against and lure them away from the party. Cesare would be waiting. They would be too weak to fight him off while she would slink back to the party. Even with such an impactful presence, her absence went unnoticed.”

“I read a book or two that mentions them but in little passage.”

“Of course that was all there would be.” Matska scoffed. “Mircalla, they’re not going to fill the books with anything that could put them in danger. Even before anything could be written down, the bishops would involve themselves and then later deem the words fit for reading or to be burned before print.”

“Sounds like the family was quite a stigma in their own right. How was it you came to know of them?”

“Maman introduced me to Niccolò Machiavelli. The rest is history. Well, now it is.” She smirked and Mircalla laughed.

“They must have trusted you deeply for Lucrezia to ask such a favor of you.”

“There was no trust, Mircalla, but an act to be used as a bargaining tool for later ties especially when Cesare became leader of the military.” Matska said.

Mircalla nodded and didn’t pry with any more questions. If Matska wanted to elaborate on the subject she would have. They sat there until half the candle melted away and Mircalla decided to call it a night.

She bayed the woman sweet dreams while Matska stayed up thinking. All those years passed and she could still recall everything so vividly. She had a friend in Lucrezia, they whispered secrets that would only ever be heard by their ears, after all, who were they going to tell? Their secrets were just as bad, if not worse, than the each others.

* * *

 

 

Lilita decided to stay in Tuscany longer and sent Matska and Mircalla down south. Her missing presence led to a lighter atmosphere in the carriage. It had been another week’s worth of traveling, stopping at night to feed from any stragglers they found on the road. Surprisingly, they had gotten used to sharing food but Matska demanded first bite and always in the jugular, her reasoning? The blood poured quicker into her mouth.

The carriage stopped near the site, getting them as close as was allowed and they got out to survey their surroundings. Guards stood watch as the workers put away their tools, another day of digging down and they were ready to leave. They waited until all the workers cleared away and evening turned to night before making a move. They moved quickly and took down the guards. Not even bothering to feed, Matska ripped at their throats until they were left dying in a pool of their own blood. Their carriage driver cleaning their mess up by throwing the bodies into the river.

They looked around the areas that were now unearthed. Pillars, pavements and walls standing before them. Some were still intact while others were broken down, rock crumbling away at the touch of their fingers. A white sheet covering a newly excavated area caught Matska’s attention. She pushed it aside and walked into the makeshift tent. Curiosity gnawing at her as to why this area was covered up until she saw the figure near the wall.

It was stone, looking just like a person but not a statue by any means. She reached out and ran her finger along the rocky surface. While the scent of the person was long gone, she could smell the same scent that lingered on this shape as that of the very one covering this city. It wasn’t long before she put the pieces together and guessed that the shape before her wasn’t a shape at all but a person. A person who was buried, just like this city, under rubble and stone. The one thing bugging her was how the body was preserved. How had it not filtered away and how was it left standing lone, untouched and isolated.

“Find anything riveting?” Mircalla asked, pushing back the sheet.

Matska didn’t take her eyes off the body not even when Mircalla came to stand beside her and cocked her head to the side wondering what the shape was that captivated Matska.

“What is that?” Mircalla asked.

“A body.” Matska said. “Preserved in stone. Fascinating isn’t it?”

Mircalla nodded mutely, words failing her at the discovery. She reached out and ran her hand down the arm, stopping at the hand encased in stone and pulled on it to see how strong it was. Matska batted her hand away and glared at her when she saw what she was doing. She led them back out of the tent before Mircalla could do any damage.

They walked around the uncovered areas, pointing out interesting things that caught their eye and Matska laughing as Mircalla created backstories of the people who once walked the very same pavement.

“Matska, what was your meaning when Maman brought up this place?” Mircalla asked, Matska had been answering a few of her questions lately and she hoped that would continue.

“That was but a joke, Mircalla. Though, it wouldn’t surprise me if she cracked a smile the very same day the volcano erupted.” Matska chuckled.

“Or waved to a child.” Mircalla added.

They carried on mocking Lilita, both laughing at what the other came up with until Matska remarked that they should be heading back.

“What do you think will become of the body?”

Matska thought about. “Perhaps they will leave it on display or tour it around to show investors that excavating this place is not a waste of money.”

“A body should be allowed rest in death.”

“Like you do when you’re finished feeding? I seem to recall you propping up a body like a puppet and acting out a scene.” Matska said.

“That was you.” Mircalla reminded her.

“Well, then what do you suppose we do?” Matska teased. “Steal it? We can’t exactly return to Maman with a rock covered body. What would you do with it? Keep it as jewellery holder in your room?”

“Of course not.” Mircalla snapped. “We could put it in the river, leave it float out to sea”

“Or sink.”

Mircalla sighed and headed back in the direction of the tent. She emerged a few moments later holding the body close to her.

“Mircalla, put them back. The council forbids us to interact with human’s discoveries.” Matska shouted after her.

“Matska, from what I’ve seen and heard, you’ve never heeded the council’s rules.”

Matska smirked at the truth in her words while Mircalla headed over to the river with the body. Matska huffed her displeasure but joined her none the less.

“Would you like us to hold hands and recount prayers also?”

Mircalla ignored her and knelt down, slowly slipping the body into the streaming river. It dipped in and out of the water as the Sarnus washed the body out to sea. The waves of the river keeping it in motion. They stood there watching until it was swept out and they could no longer see it.

They headed back to the carriage when Mircalla nearly tripped over something. She grabbed onto Matska to steady herself and looked down to see what had caught her foot.

It was plaque, buried in the ground with ash covering the top. Mircalla knelt down and brushed it away but couldn’t understand the language. She looked to Matska for help who rolled her eyes but gave in and knelt down beside her.

“What language is this?”

“Oscan.” Matska said, her eyebrows knitting in concentration as she translated the words.

“What does it say?”

“It’s a name.” Matska looked at her gleaming. “We seem to have spent the night wondering around Pompeii.”

“Pompeii.” Mircalla whispered and looked at the city finally able to put a name to the place.

* * *

 

 

The Seven Year War started not long after they returned home. Prussia had invaded and they were warned by the council to sit back. The fight was between humans. They didn’t have any business interfering in this war. No one had come to ask them of their services this time around.

Matska refused to sit back. She had been told to do the same thing when Vordenberg had hired hunters and slaughtered her kind, now they were telling her to sit back once more and wait until there was a knock on the door before she was allowed to ‘defend’ herself and her home.

She heard they had seized Vordenberg’s old mansion and traveled there in the dead of night to see what they were planning. She looked in the window and saw the place trashed. They were holding up all of his old artifacts and throwing them against the wall, all the while cheering on whomever managed to break the object on impact.

Vordenberg had never been found but they heard rumors of him having moved up north and remarrying. There was talk he had a son but they took it as just that, rumors. He no longer posed a threat and so the council proposed that the campaign ended with him and left his remaining family in peace.

She waited until they blacked out from too much wine and whiskey before entering. She made her way over to the table, stepping over their bodies in disgust and picked up the documents there. She read over their plans and the allegiance they were now forming. She read over a letter George Washington had sent. There wasn’t much in the letter but threats of retaliation. Had Washington never picked up a map? Did he not see the size of the country he was threatening to attack?

Finding nothing interesting she moved to leave but a glimpse of silver, shinning and glittering from the moon’s light, caught her sight. One of the artifacts the men had broken was holding something inside and was let out when the box shattered. She pushed away the wooden pieces covering the top and pulled out a vial.

It was burning in her hand but she ignored the pain. She had heard of such a thing existing but never seen it up close until now. Liquid silver. It was once used to torture vampires who had gone against the council in other areas of the world. Her own council was too lenient and banned it from their creed. She wondered how Vordenberg had gotten his hands on it.

It was designed for a slow and painful death for someone of her kind. She needed to get rid of it.

She held onto it for the time being until she could find a safe play to destroy it. She pocketed it when she heard one of the men stirring. He shifted in his sleep but relaxed again. Matska took her leave when she was sure he was settled. Killing a house full of military would surely open up some questions. That, and she didn’t want to be hauled in front of the council to explain her actions. Those men pumped and pried her for hours until she gave them a satisfactory answer that wasn’t telling them to mind their own business. She stepped back over them, quietly and made her way back home.

She was in the door of the mansion two seconds when she heard a bang and something shattering in Lilita’s study. The door was half ajar and so she peeped in. When she saw who was inside she opened it up fully. Mircalla always slept in front of Maman’s fire place when she was in cat form. The size and heat helping to keep her warm. While the fireplace was big the rest of the room was proportionally human size and Mircalla often knocked things down in her cat state.

Mircalla as just shifting back to human when Matska stepped in. Her face guilty and pleading with her to help before Maman punished her.

“What do we have here, Kitty-cat?”

Mircalla looked down at the mess and back up at her. “I got up too fast when I heard the door open. Maman won’t be happy about this.”

“That, she won’t” Matska smirked and Mircalla’s frown deepened further. “Go. I’ll clean this up as long as you make sure to sleep in a bed in future.”

Mircalla nodded her thanks and stepped around her while she knelt down to try and salvage the mess Mircalla had made. It was an old wooden box and while Lilita complained about it, it was still hers none the less and she wouldn’t be happy to hear of it having been broken.

A piece of wood had gone underneath the desk with the top peeping out. She reached her hand into the tight space when her hand came in contact with something hard. She pulled it out, the wood sliding out with it, revealing a thin box. She picked it up and shook it, trying to figure out if there was anything inside. The lock on it was skull and required blood to open. Matska had other plans and little time for such foolish lock mechanisms. She grabbed hold of the skull and pulled it straight off the box. She pried it open and found letters, bundles up with twine, inside.

Confused, she gently slid them from the box and looked at the Chinese writing on the envelopes. She pulled a letter from the middle, deciding it was the best place to start and slid the paper out from the magnolia sealed envelope.

She smirked at the opening paragraph. Bai Gang did know how to put Lilita in her place. The smirk was soon replaced with a frown when she read the rest of the letter. She had enough sense to know she would soon be found reading through the letters if she stayed in the study and so, shoved the now empty box back under the desk and tidied up the rest of Mircalla’s mess before taking the letters up to her bedroom.

She placed the letters on her desk and read through them all. Each one filling her with more and more rage. It sickened her. They planned it between them. Detailing a year of Lolena’s life living with Bai Gang at the temple. How she still yearned for Matska and confided in Bai Gang’s maids of missing a dear ‘friend’ back home. It tore her in two directions of what to do next. She was tempted to go to Lilita’s room and show her the letters.

She was in a dilemma not knowing whether she wanted an explanation or blood spilled. Both sounded nice. She couldn’t stomach looking at Lilita right now so an explanation would be out of the question. Her words would just further aggravate Matska. The necklace burned and stabbed at her chest at each thought. A further reminder to what she lost because of Lilita and Bai Gang’s scheming. Her heart was in the necklace and with every passing memory it felt as if it clung tighter and tighter around her neck and stabbing into her chest.

She forwent sleep that night. Re-reading the letters over and over looking for an explanation. What happened next? It detailed only a year of Lolena’s life living there. She decided against blood shed for the moment. She would get her answers and they would come in the form of the vial of silver that was still nestled deep in her pocket.

* * *

 

She waited until supper the next day before striking. The maids placed their meals in front of them while Lilita and Matska sat on opposite sides of the long table. Mircalla sat between them, in the middle, oblivious to the drama that would soon unfold.

Matska remained quiet, not glancing in Lilita’s direction in fear she would react if she saw her trade mark smirk, instead, she glared and poked at the food on her plate. Mircalla tried to get her attention a few times and out of the corner of her eye, she had seen the girl stare at her for half the meal hoping that she would raise her head and look at her.

She didn't. She stayed silent. She would have enough to say soon.

She followed a maid back into the direction of the kitchen after Lilita ordered them to fill her goblet with blood instead of wine this time. Inconspicuously as possible, she managed to leave the table without any questions.

The maid had left Lilita’s goblet on the counter as she went out the back to fill up a jug with blood. There was no need to bring the goblet, her mistress never stopped at one drink. She uncorked the vial and poured it into the goblet. It blended in with the silver of the goblet giving the illusion it was still empty. She left before the maid refilled the glass and took her seat.

When the maid re-entered, Matska closed her hands into fists praying that the maid hadn’t screwed it up. She watched as the goblet was placed back in front of Lilita and the maid stood back. Nimble fingers closed around the goblet and lifted it to thin lips. Liquid spilled past those lips, at first without any indication but after the second sip she looked Matska dead in the eye and chuckled sinisterly.

“Do you really think silver is enough to finish me off?” She asked Matska. “Tell me, Rook, what warrants this attempt at my life?”

When the drink failed to work, Matska felt her own life was going to be ended quickly. It used to shock her, the fear the idea of being killed produced but now, now she ran on pure rage when Lilita acted ignorant in her wrongdoings toward her.

“I found the letters in your study.”

The only indication Lilita gave at being shocked by the statement was a brief widening of her eyes before she collected herself again. “I’ve warned you before about meddling in my business.”

“Your business?” Matska snapped. “It became my business the moment I found out about your scheming against me with Bai Gang.”

Lilita looked to Mircalla who was looking between the two of them with confusion. “Mircalla, leave us.” When she saw the girl ready to protest she raised her voice. “Do not challenge me!” Mircalla did as she was told and left, the maids taking their leave also. Mircalla sent a sympathetic and questioning look Matska’s way whom kept her eyes trained on Lilita.

When the door shut, Lilita stood up and walked behind her chair. “Matska, don’t you think you should let the past remain in the past? What good is lugging it all back up? It’s not going to change anything.”

“Yes it does.” Matska snapped, pushing her chair back and banging her hands on the table, sending death glares Lilita’s way. “I do not care if a thousand years passed. It will still matter to me. You both schemed against me. Took away everything from me? For what?”

"I did you a favor, I did you both a favor. You should be thanking me.”

“Thanking you?” Matska asked, she knew Lilita was crazy but not this much. “Why on earth would I thank you?”

“You wouldn’t have been happy.”

“I’m not happy now.” Matska sneered.

“That girl was merely a distraction. She held no value but satisfying your needs with gentle touch.” Lilita took in the sight of her eldest with annoyance. Matska gripped tightly onto memories that she should have let go of long ago. “You think that girl would have stayed by your side as you continued to kill? Something you had no control over? She couldn’t handle it and as much as you want to blame me, you know I did right by you.”

Matska remained silent, trying to gather her thoughts and form some sort of coherent sentence that wasn’t a growl at Lilita’s words. “That doesn’t change anything.”

Lilita sighed and moved around the table to stand in front of Matska. “Rook, I could stand here all night and explain my reasoning but you know as well as I, I did what needed to be done.” She reached out and rubbed Matska’s arm affectionately. “For you.”

While Lilita was quick, she was also distracted which helped Matska as she brought the dinner knife up and pressed it against Lilita’s throat. While it would take a while to recuperate, it would still be a bother to be beheaded so she allowed Matska to press the knife there, for the time being.

“What became of her?” Matska asked, leaning in close to her face.

Lilita smirked, the letters never revealed the ‘gift’ Bai Gang bestowed upon Lolena. “She left. After a year in Bai Gang’s services. Didn’t reach his standards of what he expected in a maid.”

“You expect me to believe she was allowed leave without question or punishment.” Matska pressed her down harder on the table, the knife pressing into her throat now drawing blood. “Even if she was allowed leave, I’m sure you kept an eye on her whereabouts encase she tried to return here, to me, so I will ask again and this will be my last time. What became of her?”

“You’re right. I do know what became of her.” She gleamed through the pain, her cruel eyes staring deep into Matska’s own. “She moved down south and married a farmer. My sources told me she birthed two children but died in childbirth having the last one. She was the perfect housewife just like I knew she was always destined to be.”

Matska drained in anger and pain at the news. It had always been in the back of her mind that Lolena would have passed by now but to hear it said aloud, to finally find out what happened to her, to have her fears finally confirmed, she was more numb than ever. She let the knife slip from her hand, landing on the table and pushed off Lilita, holding onto the chair in shock to try and steady her nerves from the news.

“I thought you would be happy, Rook. After all, she finally got what she wanted. A normal life.” Lilita smirked. “Although, it did take some planning on my part but it all managed to pay off, in the end that is.”

Her words helped bring Matska back around as she stared at Lilita in confusion. “What planning are you talking about?”

“You think the girl just left with a stranger after a few sweet words?” Lilita said, wiping the blood from her throat. “You know of Bai Gang’s powers. I asked him to help hurry on her decision.”

“You had him invade her mind? He made her leave with that persuasion mastery of his, didn't he?”

“Like I’ve said, she was already thinking of leaving. Bai Gang merely helped in speeding up the process.” Lilita said.

“Why? What did either of you get from this?” Matska asked, half towards Lilita and half wondering to herself when it clicked. “The necklace. You did all of that so you could lock my heart inside a necklace?”

Lilita waved her finger as if she was talking to a child. “That was all you, dear. You could have stopped at any moment and walked away.”

“You preyed on me, waiting until Lolena had left and I was most vulnerable. I had no choice and you know that.” Matska said. The memory of the night Lolena left coming back to her. She could feel the tug on the necklace from the emotions that came with the most painful night of her life. She reached up and clasped the necklace. “I can’t feel anything anymore because of you, because of what you did to me. Why did you want my heart out?”

“You were weak with it. I saw how you started second guessing your kills encase you upset your _pet_.” Lilita curled her mouth in disgust at the hold a human had over her daughter. “Now look at you. You never have to fear of such a thing again. Never have to have your heart broken. You can reach your full potential without someone dragging you back.”

“The only person dragging me back is you and that’s about to change.” Matska picked the knife up and stuck it straight into Lilita’s throat, its silver poking out through the back of her neck. Blood splattered and coated her dress and arms.

She pulled Lilita closer with the knife and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I will never forgive you for what you’ve done to me.” Matska whispered.

She threw Lilita onto the table and strode out of the room, closing the door behind her ignoring Lilita's spluttering.

She saw Mircalla sitting at the end of the staircase and looked up as she emerged from the dining room.

“Matska?” She looked worriedly at the sight of blood coating her sister’s arms.

She walked up to Mircalla and gripped her shoulders. “I’m leaving, Mircalla. I need to find some place first but I will come back for you. Trust me?”

Mircalla nodded without hesitation.

They shared a smile and hugged tightly before Matska left. When she was gone from sight, disappearing into the now setting sun, Mircalla went into the dining room to check the damage after what had unfolded. She hadn't heard anything sitting on the stairs but the blood on Matska hadn't been a good sign that her sister and Maman had a peaceful conversation.

She stood in shock at the door frame as Lilita sat up on the table and tried not to retch as Lilita pulled a knife from her throat. She turned her head at the sound of the door opening and smiled at Mircalla as if she hadn’t a gaping hole in her throat and blood coating her chest.

“Come here, darling.” She opened her arms wide. “Come to Maman.”

 

 

 


	6. Fallout

Matska had kept good to her word and sought Mircalla out after a few agonizing weeks of complete silence. She had managed to get a letter to her, through one of the maids after their visit to the market and within it, gave her direction to the place she was staying. With Lilita still recuperating from Matska’s attack, she was able to take leave and visit Matska.

Luckily, the place wasn’t too far away and with her abilities, she was there as swiftly as possible. She uncurled the note from her pocket, re-reading the address and looking at the building she was standing in front of. A tavern? She shouldn’t have found it as surprising as she did, after all, Matska had brought her to stranger places. She entered to see men sitting around tables, singing loudly and out of tune while woman walked around, scantily clad, placing drinks on the tables and sitting in the men’s laps. She smirked inwardly, she could see now why the place appealed to Matska and she kicked herself for not realizing it sooner.

She looked around the room first to see if she could spot her sister among-st the crowd. When she couldn’t, she walked up to the bar, ignoring the looks being sent her way and asked the woman serving there for help.

“I was given this letter.” Mircalla said, handing over the paper to the bar maid. “My sister says she has taken up residence here. Do you know where I may find her?”

The bar maid said nothing but walked up to the other woman behind the bar and whispered to her. She looked Mircalla’s way before nodding to the bar maid whom Mircalla had been previously speaking too.

She walked back and handed over the letter to Mircalla again. “She’s upstairs. You can go through the back. It’s the first room on the right.”

Mircalla thanked her and while she previously didn’t take notice, trying to find Matska had distracted her, the bar maid was quite beautiful. She didn’t wear normal social attire, forgoing it for a wrap around her breasts and as she walked around, heading towards the back stairway she caught sight of the skirt the bar maid wore. It was cut-off halfway up exposing long legs that near had her picking her jaw up from the floor.

She was too distracted ogling the woman that she caught her foot in a slightly lifted floorboard and tripped over it. She was quickly back on her feet as if the fall never happened but glancing back at the bar maid the smirk lining her face told her she wasn’t quite fast enough. Trying to hide her blush, she continued on through the back and up the stairs.

She readied herself to knock when Matska opened the door. They looked at each other, checking to make sure the other held no injuries, Matska had left in a hurry and Mircalla’s mind ran rampant with thoughts that she was injured in the scuffle. Having her sister before her, unharmed, relieved Mircalla to no end. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Matska. Surprisingly, to both of them, Matska hugged back and drew her in close. Their hug before was one of desperation encase neither saw the other again. This one was of comfort.

“I’ve missed you.” Mircalla mumbled into her neck.

“And I, you.” Matska said, glancing down at Mircalla.

They let go of each other, Matska shutting the door and Mircalla walking around the room.

“It’s small.” Mircalla commented, looking around the room that was fit with the bare necessities. A bed and dresser in one corner, a wash bowl and chair in the other. “Quaint even.”

“Yes, it’s not exactly picturesque but it’s a roof over my head and will have to do for now.”

“More holes than roof.” Mircalla replied, looking up at the ceiling.

“I did not exactly have time to prepare for a proper escape, Mircalla.” Matska sighed and took a seat on the end of the bed. Mircalla pulling up the wooden chair to sit in front of her.

“Rook, I-”

“Do not call me that.” Matska hissed. “I never want to hear that name again.”

Mircalla nodded. “What happened between you and Maman?”

Matska thought about it. She trusted Mircalla but it hurt to drag back up her past. She had barely survived the pain the night she was found on the side of the road. She had left the mansion and had made it a few miles before collapsing onto her knees, clutching at her chest and trying to wait out the pain. She had woke up in the room she was in now. The tavern owner, an old friend of hers, brought her here after finding her, on the roadside, outside after waving off one of her guests.

She couldn’t tell her, not now. “It was nothing.”

“Matska, you buried a knife in Maman's neck.”

“A misunderstanding at best.” Matska said.

“Will you come home?” Mircalla asked, leaning forward slightly, hoping her question would be met with a positive answer.

“No, Mircalla, I won’t be coming home again.” Matska sighed seeing Mircalla’s face frown at her answer. “There have been too many issues, too many problems that Lilita has caused, they’ve been there for a long time now and they’ve reached a boil.”

“You can mend it.”

“After what she’s done, there would never be a way for such a thing to be repaired.” Matska sneered.

“Matska, how can I help when you will not tell me what she has done?” Mircalla asked.

“It is not for you to worry about.” Matska sighed and took Mircalla’s hands in her own.

“How can you say that? My mother and my sister try and kill one another and you tell me not to worry.” Mircalla said, her voice rising as she spoke.

“That’s untrue, I was the one trying to kill her. She just wanted to talk.” Matska said.

“Matska.” Mircalla sighed.

“Mircalla, drop the issue will you?” Matska sighed, getting tired of the constant questions.

They kept acting as a reminder to what she had lost. To the greatest betrayal she had ever suffered through. She hadn’t had time to process the information she had previously learned. Mircalla’s bombardment of questioning making her confront it head on. She was thankful when Mircalla did as she asked and let the issue drop. There was a knock on the door interrupting the two of them, Matska granted access to whomever was behind the door and once the woman stepped in Mircalla turned her head away, trying to hide her blush.

She saw the woman smirk in Mircalla’s direction as she drew nearer with a food tray. She set it down next to Matska on the bed and took her leave but not before sending one last smirk in Mircalla’s direction.

“Care to share?” Matska teased.

“It’s nothing.” Mircalla said, throwing Matska’s words from earlier back at her.

Matska raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing. Her sister was starting to get quick on her remarks lately, picking it up from Matska which was something she prided herself on. They had been around each other for so long and while Mircalla was still growing into herself, she was also picking up some of Matska’s traits. Matska couldn’t help but smile, conversations with banter were always more fun than the serious kind.

“You know, the girls here do entertain females also.” Matska said.

“Not this again, why is it you continue to try and encourage me with such things.” Mircalla sighed, conversations with Matska eventually landed on this topic.

“Someone has to, you still think it wrong but those thoughts can be fixed with silken touch.” Matska said, trying not to laugh at the scandalized expression on Mircalla’s face.

“The girl who was in here before, you say the word and I will have her waiting in this bed for you the next time you visit.”

“Matska, that will not be necessary I-” she paused and repeated Matska’s previous words in her head.

“You do not want me to stay here with you?”

“I do not have the space or the means to take care of both of us as of yet.” Matska sighed deeply, hoping Mircalla would understand. “When I do, the two of us will leave this place.”

Mircalla thought about it before nodding in agreement. Even if they were vampires, they still needed shelter and money and wouldn’t find that wandering the roads. Mircalla stayed for another few minutes but decided on leaving. Lilita would be asking questions if she stayed any longer. They shared another hug as they said their goodbyes. The barmaid from before, shouted her goodbyes to her when she had gotten downstairs. She left the tavern blushing and happy.

She was back in the mansion in little time and snuck up the stairs to her bedroom. She had just entered her room when the door slammed shut behind her. She whipped around to see Lilita standing there, her expression unrecognizable and terrifying her.

“Where were you Mircalla?” Lilita asked, her voice sinisterly calm.

“Maman, you should be resting.” Mircalla said.

“I asked you a question Mircalla.”

“I-I was out.” Mircalla replied, taking a step back.

Lilita stepped forward. “Where?” When she saw Mircalla go to take another step she closed the distance and grabbed her by her forearms. “Before you lie to me Mircalla, I want you to think about it very, very carefully.”

She couldn’t give up her sister. Not after everything she had done and was doing for her and so she lied. “I was spying on the military to see if they had made any movement closer to us.”

She thought her mother believed her as she let her go only to be wrong as a palm slapped across her cheek, stinging and burning her cheek. “Do not lie to me Mircalla. I know you’ve been with Rook. I can smell her on you.”

“Maman, I wasn’t. These were the clothes I wore the night she left and hugged me goodbye.” Mircalla said, her voice betraying her desperation for her mother to believe her.

She let out a hiss as the back of her head smacked off the bedroom wall and Lilita pinned her by her shoulders, keeping her propped up and trapped. She tried to look around for some way to get out of the situation but found nothing, her eyes settling on the still slightly open hole in Lilita’s neck. The skin surrounding the hole stretching and scarred trying the heal the wound that was inflicted by Matska’s knife.

“She has you lying now. Can you not see what she has done to this family?” Lilita said, her swirling with blackness as she gazed into Mircalla’s own. “Mircalla, I do not care if you visit her.”

“You don’t?” Mircalla asked, finding Lilita’s statement difficult to believe.

“No, I merely wanted you to tell me the truth that is all.” Lilita said.

“I’m sorry for lying, Maman.” Mircalla said, breaking her gaze with Lilita and staring downcast.

“You can visit her whenever you’d like, Mircalla, but that’s all they can be, visits. You still have your duty to the council and if you neglect your work.” she paused, glancing around the room and turning back to Mircalla slightly frowning. “I have been ordered to kill you and because Matska would be responsible for your neglectful actions. I will have to kill her too.”

Mircalla struggled against the wall. “Please, Maman, I promise I will do my duty.”

Lilita gleamed at the words and let her go. Mircalla dropped and crouched back up from the fall down, she hadn’t realized Lilita had her held up so high and wasn’t anticipating such a drop down.

“Make sure to clean yourself up before supper, won’t you dear.” Lilita said, smiling down at her and took her leave.

When the door to her bedroom shut closed, Mircalla allowed herself to lean back against the wall. Her plans with Matska were now gone. She knew they would never get away so easily and with the threat now enforced against her sister, she wouldn’t chance leaving.

She reached her hand up to the back of her head, to the area where it met the wall earlier and hissed as it met a large lump. She pulled her hand back and looked at it. There was blood coating her fingers. She sighed and wiped them on her dress and stood up. She looked at the wall and sure enough there was blood splatter. She would have to have a maid clean it later, they were used to this sort of thing by now and knew exactly how to get out the stain.

She moved to the washroom, gripping onto the furniture as she moved, the head injury slightly impairing her vision. A part of her felt jealous of Matska in that moment, she wished she was the one who had stabbed Lilita, she would be out of this house though she would be hunted down. Either way she was died, staying in the mansion she knew she would eventually be killed but at least this way, Matska would be safe.

* * *

 

 

She waited a week before visiting Matska again. This time she went straight through the back without asking and up the stairs. She was about to open the door when she heard muffled laughter from inside. She ignored it and knocked on the door. There was silence, then a thump and then she heard shuffling toward the door. Matska opened it, clutching a sheet to her body, looking disheveled but happy.

She looked past Matska’s shoulder to see a woman on the bed starting to put her dress back on. When she was dressed, she walked up to Matska and placed a kiss on her cheek before slipping past the two of them and down the stairs.

“Who was that?” Mircalla laughed, stepping into the room as Matska turned around and shut the door.

“Not a person but a thing.”

“A what?” Mircalla asked, Matska confusing her.

“A distraction, it’s entertaining you should try it.” She smiled as Mircalla shook her head.

She walked over to her dresser and dropped the sheet that had been covering her body. She thought it was one of the bar maids at the door when she adorned the sheet to answer it. She heard Mircalla squeak behind her.

“Matska, warning would be helpful before you drop clothes in front of someone.” Mircalla said, shielding her eyes with her hands and facing in the opposite direction.

“It’s only the two of in this room, Mircalla and you see the same thing when you undress.” Matska pointed out.

“Yes but it’s usually my body.”

“Usually? Did you find a play thing without telling me?” Matska teased and looked over her shoulder to see Mircalla’s body tensing up.

“You know what I meant. I would appreciate warning in the future before you’re about to disrobe.”

“Fine.” Matska said, tying up the dress.

“You can turn around now.” Mircalla did as she was told and turned around but apprehensively, Matska had tricked her more than once on such things.

She watched her sister pour a drink and offer it to her but declined with a shake of her hand. Matska shrugged and took a seat on the bed.

“Did you manage to leave without question?” Matska asked.

Mircalla thought about lying but knew deep down Matska deserved the truth. “Maman knows. She knew the last time I came and while I tried to persuade her otherwise, she knew I was with you.”

Matska didn’t say anything at first but took another swing of her drink. “Should I be expecting her arrival?”

“No, she said I can continue to visit you so long as I do so not in secret.” Mircalla said, looking away from Matska.

Through the years together, Matska had learned many thing about her sister like how after a night of ‘training’ with Lilita she would seek comfort with Matska’s presence or how her leg would slightly tremble when she needed to feed. The very same girl whose guilty expression she need only see and instantly know Mircalla had been stealing food from the kitchen. She also knew that when her sister wouldn’t look at her or turned her head away she was hiding something.

“What else, Mircalla?” She watched her sister stare down at the floorboards, her gaze unfocused and her body tensed.

“I can’t leave with you.”

“Why not?”

She couldn’t tell her, Matska would try and make another play at Lilita’s life and this time wouldn’t leave alive.“A situation has arisen and I cannot leave. I would appreciate it if you take me at my word.”

“What situation could have possibly arisen in the past week for you to change your mind?” Matska asked, standing up and making her way over to Mircalla. “Last week you were upset you couldn’t stay with me and now you tell me you wish to stay.”

“As I’ve already said, I would appreciate it if you let the issue die.”

“What has happened, Mircalla?” Matska asked, taking Mircalla’s chin in her hand and raised it until the girl’s eyes met her own.

She wanted to, she wanted to spill the truth to Matska, tell her everything and with Matska’s sweet tone only ever reserved for her, she did. “Maman said she will kill you if we leave, she will kill the both of us.”

She shook out of Matska’s grip and looked back down at the floor not able to stomach the thought of her sister being killed because of her.

Matska took a step back, anger coursed her veins and she wanted to leave for the mansion but she knew if she did she would be killed and Mircalla would have to suffer through life alone with Lilita. She thought about leaving there and then but they would eventually be tracked down. Her own contracts were thin and small and feared Lilita more than their loyalty to her, they would give her up without a second though. Lilita had them both in the palm of her hand, she always had. She needed to clear her head, to try and come up with of something.

“I’m going downstairs, my drinks are running low. I’ll be back in a moment. You stay here.” She directed Mircalla, who nodded and left the room.

She was lost in thought that she didn’t hear or see the other woman enter the room after Matska departed.

“You don’t look like you’ve held pleasant conversation.” The woman said and drew Mircalla from her thoughts.

She looked up and over at the woman who she recognized as the bar maid from last week.

“I’ve held better.” Mircalla commented, turning to face her.

“Wish to speak about what ails you?” The woman asked, drawing closer, her hips swaying with each step she took.

“I wish to forget.” Mircalla said, looking the woman up and down.

There was no more being afraid, she could feel the possibility of her making it to next week, even the next day, alive would be a fifty percent chance, even slimmer if she really gave it thought. If she were going to die, she couldn’t without first tasting what Matska tried on endlessly to serve to her on a silver platter. The woman seemed to sense what she was thinking and drew closer until Mircalla could feel her breath on her face. The woman took it slow, something Mircalla was thankful for and gently placed her hands on her waist, sliding them around her back, pulling her in close and connecting their lips. It was chaste until Mircalla felt that hunger burning within her starting to come out. Surprising the both of them, she deepened the kiss and started tugging at the woman’s dress.

Downstairs, Matska took a seat at an empty table and poured herself a drink from the jug. She couldn’t think with Mircalla in the room, her presence made Matska waver and point her in another direction than in the decision she was leaning toward. Lilita always managed to be one step ahead of them. She wondered how the woman could have figured out their plan to leave together. She knew the woman would eventually come to the conclusion but there had to be a reason she arrived on the thought so quickly.

It clicked. Someone must have been listening into their last conversation. Before she could start thinking of possible suspects, she heard a moan of passion flow down the stairs from where she was seated in the back of the tavern. She smiled to herself, she had seen the girl waiting at the bottom of the stairs when she had left and put it down to her waiting for Mircalla to leave. The bar maid had enamored by her sister, or so she was told by the tavern owner. One of the other bar maids seemed to have heard the noise and walked over to Matska’s table.

“Those sounds would make a girl jealous.”

“I’m sure you can find somebody around here to help you out of that dilemma.” Matska retorted.

“You do know that this place isn’t a brothel.”

Matska smirked. “I did not think it was.”

“You could eluded to it otherwise, you had one of the girls up there the entire morning and now your friend is up there.” The woman said, looking in the direction of the back stairs where a constant stream of moans and groans flowed down its steps, reaching their ears.

Matska opened her mouth to retort when a piercing scream was heard. The woman, who Matska had been talking, smirked thinking the scream was proving her point of the ‘activates’ carrying on upstairs. Matska didn’t think twice of bolting form from her chair. The scream was not one of pleasure and what terrified her more was that it sounded as though it came from Mircalla.

The door was left open from before and once she saw what was going on, she struck.

* * *

 

 

While Mircalla had deepened the kiss from earlier and assisted in removing the woman of her clothes that was how far she had gotten. She froze and the woman took over. She pushed Mircalla against the dresser and helped coax moans from her mouth as her hand moved steadily between Mircalla’s legs.

In her climax, Mircalla bit the girl in the junction where her shoulder met her neck, hard and with her fangs extended. She hadn’t meant to, lust had clouded her attention and sanity. The woman had groaned and pulled the knife, off the tray that was left there from Matska’s breakfast that morning and stabbed Mircalla into the side. She had screamed out at the pain and cried as the girl pulled it back out and watched as she brought it up to strike her again but never got the chance as she was ripped from Mircalla.

Putting pressure on the wound, she saw the girl’s terrified expression, her eyes wide and unsettling. She heard her last breath as Matska wrapped her hand around her throat and stuck her nails in, blood dripped down Matska’s hand as the tips of her fingers went into her throat, crushing the girl’s windpipe and breaking her neck. She let her drop to the floor with a thud and ran to Mircalla’s side when she saw the blood pouring between her fingers.

She needed to drink, she needed blood. Matska dragged the body back up and pulled her in front of Mircalla. “Drink.” She ordered.

Mircalla moved to dismiss her but Matska shoved the body into her face, the girl’s neck falling to the side. She bit into the neck as Matska kept her and the body propped up.

She tore away from the neck after drinking for some time.

“Thank you.” She said, her voice weak but her tone sincere.

Matska nodded and surveyed the damage. They would have to leave before someone caught sight of the mess. She doubted Mircalla would be up for another fight tonight. She picked up Mircalla’s dress and helped her put it back on.

“We need to leave, can you walk?” Matska asked, stepping back from Mircalla to check.

When Mircalla tried to take a step forward the pain in her side radiated up her body making her near collapse on the floor. Matska caught her around the waist and pulled her back. Throwing Mircalla’s arm around her shoulder, she walked them out of the room and down the stairs. She shushed Mircalla as they walked, her groans would attract attention, the unwanted type.

“What happened her? Is that blood?”

Matska froze. There on the bottom step was the bar maid she was talking to before. Mircalla and herself shared a look and nodded. Mircalla grabbed hold of the banister to keep herself upright as Matska extended her fangs. She quickly removed the remainder of the space between the barmaid and her and covered the maid’s mouth with her hand. She tilted her head and ducked down, biting into her neck and pulling outward, shredding her throat. She dropped her to the floor and grabbed hold of Mircalla. Using their speed, they were out the door before any of the inebriated drinkers could see.

Matska looked around, trying to bury her nerves, Mircalla needed to rest and she needed to find a place for her to do that. The mansion was out of question, she wouldn’t return there not while Lilita was there. It clicked for her, Maman’s apartment. Lilita had the place built to be closer for board meetings and parties after the council meetings but rarely stayed there. The place had slipped her mind when she first left the mansion and after thinking it over in the tavern, she didn’t want to be near anything Lilita related. She would have to return there eventually, after all, she was keeping something precious in the house.

She dragged Mircalla down roads and streets until they found the place. She kicked open the door and after they were both in, shut it behind her. She took Mircalla upstairs and into, what was supposed to be Matska’s bedroom and laid her down.

“How are you feeling, darling?” Matska asked.

“It’s still painful.” Mircalla groaned painfully, shifting around on the bed.

“The blood should have helped.” Matska said, she needed to check the wound.

She grabbed hold of the side of Mircalla’s dress and ripped it open. She grimaced as she saw the wound, it would heal but taking into account Mircalla’s young age it would take a while.

“Rest.” Matska whispered, stroking Mircalla’s hair. “You should feel better after sleep.”

Mircalla did as she was told and closed her eyes. Matska slipped from the room, letting her sleep and trying to regroup her thoughts. Now she was in the predicament about what she would with her sister. If Mircalla stayed here, Lilita would come looking or send someone after them. She looked out the window for said trouble but spotted a young boy walking up and down the street.

After debating it over, she left the house and approached him. It was easy to persuade him to go to Lilita’s house with her verbal message. She told him he would be awarded at the mansion after he asked her for payment. While she normally would have laughed thinking of the outcome of the boy’s arrival at Lilita’s, she was too concerned for Mircalla and went back up to the bedroom. She stayed in the room, watching Mircalla for any signs of discomfort or encase the girl awoke needing her. The boy must have delivered her message as their night went undisturbed.

* * *

 

 

“Tell me again of her condition.”

Two pairs of footsteps walked down creaking floorboards as the neared closer to a wooden door.

“One of the nun’s from the convent brought her. She was worried after the girl confided in her about her past ‘experience’ with the same sex but when the girl went on to talk about human blood sucker’s, it prompted her to bring her here and let us fix her.” The voice responded, reading from the file in his hand.

They stopped in front of the wooden door and pulled back the small panel, letting them gaze into the room and spot the figure curled into a ball in the bed. Red hair peeping out from beneath a grey old blanket.


	7. flashback

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nsfw

She could feel it before she saw it. It moved and brushed against her skin. The darkness swept into a cloak before her. She watched, transfixed, as it melted to the ground and when she looked up, she saw light. It surrounded her on all sides and then dug into her skin and began pulling at her. She heard Mircalla’s anguish cries as it dragged her to the floor and when she looked to the side, she saw her necklace.

Broken.

Its pieces now jagged and sharp and as she tried to reach for it, the darkness enwrapped her body and consumed her from beneath.

She woke with a fright, clutching her necklace and feeling the heat and pulsing coming from it. A feeling she once hated but now, with the nightmares haunting her dreams, it was reassuring. It reminded her that she was still alive even when her dreams suggested otherwise. They came every time she slept, taunting and tormenting her. They were weakening and distracting. Everything she prided herself on not being.

Matska put it down to the house. The nightmares had started after her first night there. She came close to leaving a candle lighting and set the house ablaze but after a quick debate with herself, she decided against it until she could find somewhere else to live. She had been holding many conversations with herself as of late. After Mircalla’s injury, her sister had moved back to the mansion while she healed and she had yet to hear word from her.

Mircalla’s absence let her ponder her turmoil thoughts. The very same thoughts that ridiculed her every action. It was as if Lilita’s voice was in her head, judging her but the voice saying them was her own. It got too loud in there and sometimes she would shout her frustrations out loud. They were beginning to take a toll on her daily life too.

She had let a curse of annoyance pass her lips when she was hunting recently. The person had turned around wide-eyed and stared at her then shifted their gaze to her bared fangs before taking flight resulting in a chase between her and her prey. They had gotten a few feet a head of her before she had caught them, not exactly a chase but it still irritated her to no end that it had happened. She did enjoy playing with her food when she was in the mood but with her chaotic thoughts, she had only the mind for a quick feast.

With a huff, she threw the blankets from her body and shoved on some clothes. She might as well hunt if she couldn’t sleep. She left through the underground tunnels of the house as they led right out into the forest. Going into town and killing left, right and center didn’t sound appealing right now especially with the presence of newly recruited guards there. Their numbers may also have been a factor in her decision.

The forest at night was a complete contrast to its morning counterpart. It was dead and the only noise was rustling leaves from the slight blow of wind. During the day, rabbits hopped freely and birds chirped from tree branches. It was sickeningly sweet and she hated it. As others would suggest, she was a creature of the night and she reveled in it. In their words.

The sound of branches breaking near her reminded her of the people who also stalked at night. Humans. Before being turned, they once could overpower and hurt her but now, now she savored her strength. She had them kneeling at her feet and begging for their lives. She let them plead before making them bleed. She looked for the source of the sound to see a fox looking around for food like her.

She knelt and coaxed him over. He tentatively walked towards her, trying to decide if she was a threat or friendly. When he was close enough, she reached out and stroked his fur. She picked him up and bit into his neck. He struggled but went slack within moments. She wiped her chin and stood up, discarding him to the side.

She trudged on, looking for more food. The fox was a snack, he wouldn’t come close to filling her, even though she wasn’t exactly hungry at the moment. She needed the kill, she needed to regain some of her control. She maneuvered under tree branches and pushed through bushes. Where the hell did everything go? She was tempted to turn back and re-think her choice of not going into town. It didn’t help when her disorderly thoughts started back up again.

Everything from Lilita’s betrayal to Lolena’s death to the necklace around her neck. Then, the laughter, Lilita’s laughter, rang loud in her mind. Mocking her. She won, Lilita would always win and as much as she tried to stop it, it continued to blast in her mind. She pressed her hands against her head trying to stop the cackling but it didn’t help. It just kept coming.

She stumbled through the rest of the forest, falling into trees and trying to keep herself upright. Until, she caught her foot in a tree root and fell forward, sprawling out onto the forest floor, not bothering to try and stop herself. She laid there until the laughter quietened down. When it finally came to a rest, she moved to sit up and leant back against the tree. Her entire life had changed in a matter of weeks more than it ever did in all the years she lived. It was starting to take its toll on her.

Sleeping here wouldn’t be such a bad idea and it would prove her theory that the house was causing her nightmares. She leant her head back and closed her eyes for a quick rest. She would hunt more later.

 

* * *

 

 

_She smiled at the panting in her ear and pulled back to look at the face that was a withering mess underneath her. Their eyes connected and the smile fell from her lips at the look she was receiving. Pure lust. They wanted nothing but her touch. Tender or rough, they would take whatever she gave them. She couldn’t tear her eyes away. Her fingers continued to pump a gentle but fast rhythm. She nearly gasped as she felt fingers press against her own wetness. She hadn’t expected it, though it wasn’t unwelcomed even when they slipped inside her._

_They moved in sync. The unbroken eye contact adding another layer to their lovemaking. It intensely connected them, deeper than Matska thought possible. Eyes and hands said what mouths refused to voice. Words could be misconstrued, actions couldn’t._

_They only broke eye contact when the body beneath her came, tilting their head back and arching their back up toward her. Something she took delight in seeing as she was the reason of its cause, like a gift, she was the reason for their unraveling. They were only coming down when she felt her own climax approaching. She let whispers of her lover’s name past her lips as her hips rocked in time with the lithe fingers inside her. She came with a deep guttural moan, holding on upright as euphoria was rewarded and pulsing squeezed her partner’s digits before collapsing on the body under her, burying her face in the crook of their neck._

_They groaned in unison as they pulled out of one another. She was ready to go again but the owner of the body, that was trying desperately to catch their breath, needed rest. She shifted, trying to take her fully body weight off her lover but a hand scratched at her back making it clear they wanted her to stay there. She suspected it was also due to the fact that they had neglected to pull the blankets up and she was the only thing covering them and keeping them warm. She moved from the crook of her lover’s neck to gaze down at them. She pushed a red ringlet of hair out of their face as they smiled exhaustively up at her._

_“You cannot keep distracting me to stay in bed when there is work that I’ve been given orders to finish.” Lolena said, out of breath._

_“I didn’t hear any complaints of the kind moments ago, only encouragement.” Matska smirked and laughed as the hand on her back reached down and slapped her bare ass. “Actions like that makes me think that you may want a repeat. Though, I must ask, already?”_

_“No, you should learn to ask before assuming. I also need you to get off me before you try anything again. After all, those floors aren’t going to clean themselves.” Lolena said but made no move to get up._

_“Someone else can fulfill your orders.” Matska replied and looked down hungrily at the bare skin available to her. Lolena knew that look but wasn’t quick enough as Matska’s hand slid between their bodies once more. Her own hand followed the same path down and grabbed the other girl’s own, pulling it back up her body._

_As Matska tried to free her own hand between lithe fingers, Lolena held on tight. Matska allowed her to have her way until their hands were halfway up her body and then freed her own with a swift tug. It grabbed the other hand and pushed it down next to Lolena’s head as she reached down to steal a kiss. She allowed her lover to roll her onto her back as they kissed. Lolena had only settled between her legs before their positions were reversed and she was once again on her back. Not one to take things lightly, she rolled Matska back and began a teasing wrestling game as they pushed and pulled at one another._

_They didn’t know how but they found themselves at the end of the bed and after another flip of their positions, from Matska, they were down on the floor. Lolena landing on top of Matska, her hands on Matska’s shoulders keeping herself balanced._

_“I triumphed over you this time, Matska.” Lolena said, grinning down at her._

_Matska huffed before her sly smirk returned. “Did you? Or did I let you?” she looked over the body on top, her eyes briefly resting on Lolena’s breasts before looking back up at her face. She counted her position as an advantage with the view she was receiving. Her smirk gave away her thoughts to Lolena as the girl on top let her smile drop._

_It was Lolena’s turn to huff as she crossed her arms across her chest, blocking Matska’s view and turned her head away trying to act annoyed. It didn’t work as Matska sat up and tugged on Lolena’s arms until she uncrossed them. With nothing preventing her, Matska lavished attention on the skin before her, trailing her hands up along Lolena’s sides. She eventually got the reception she was hoping for when Lolena moaned but sighed as hands pushed down on her shoulders, stopping her._

_“If time were to allow pause then maybe I would give into your advances but for now, I work.” Lolena said, sighing in discontent from having to leave her current position._

_“You could lend hand.”_

_“Washing up?” Matska asked and Lolena nodded._

_Matska contemplated it for a moment before shrugging. She sat up halfway, wrapping Lolena’s legs around her waist and stood up._

_“Matska, must I remind you-”_

_“You asked me to clean up.” Matska reminded her, walking over to the side door where her washroom was._

_“What are you doing?” Lolena asked as they stopped in front of the door. Matska let go of her thigh to grip the doorknob._

_“Cleaning up.” Matska smiled, as she turned the knob and pulled open the door. “It is only fair that I clean up my own…. mess.”_

 

* * *

 

 

She was woken with a repeated kicking to her legs. She opened her eyes but immediately shut them again. The trees overhead blocked out most of the sun but allowed a single ray of blinding light to shine down on her. She moved her hand up to her face before opening her eyes again, shielding them from the morning light. She looked down to see who or what had been kicking or only to see the one person whom she never wanted nor thought she would see again.

Bai Gang.

He stood right by her feet, staring down at her with a look of annoyance on his face. His green and copper robes blending with the forests colors.

“Is laying in this forest something you think you will be doing for the entire day or will you show me to a place where it would be suitable to converse?” He asked.

After the initial shock, she was back on her feet trying to control the urge to rip his throat out.

“You are no guest of mine and I certainly will not entertain your presence.” Matska said, baring her teeth, her fangs gleamed and pressed against her lower lip.

“You’re misguided. I do not wish for hospitality but I do think it is essential we talk. There are things you need to understand.” Bai Gang said. He didn’t seem fazed by her obvious threat. There was no need. He knew she wouldn’t try anything, at least, not until she knew why he was there.

“If I decline, you will just use that power of yours to persuade me anyway.” Matska said. She wanted answers but she also couldn’t stomach to see the person giving them.

Bai Gang took a step back and held his hands up. “My powers require touch. To split the energy from my body to yours, I would need to at least touch your arm or shake your hand. I’m not doing that, am I? Now, if you would show me to a place where we could talk. I don’t think this is a conversation that should be had in a forest.”

She thought her options over before eventually conceding. If Lilita had sent him, she would find out and they both would suffer for making another attempt to try and deceive her. She led him back to the house in silence. She pondered her own thoughts while he took in the surroundings of the forest. Her theory about her nightmares proved right but she couldn’t figure out why the house could be causing them. It also didn’t help that her dream last night, consisted of a past memory and the person in it was ripped away from her by the person walking next to her. She clenched her hands into fists and started walking faster.

Not bothering to offer refreshments, she led them into the living room and immediately began quizzing him.

“I’ll save you breath. I found the letters between you and Lilita. What answers can you give me that differs from hers?” Matska asked, her words enunciated quickly and sharply.

“Straight to the point as always, Matska.” Bai Gang muttered under his breath.

“I wouldn’t want you to stay here longer than necessary.” Matska replied.

He began walking around the room and rounded around the table, taking note of the checkerboard that lay upon it. “Do you like chess?”

She squinted her eyes at him. She knew this was a tactic of his. A clear manipulation and she wasn’t going to play into it. “Unless you came here to talk about tactics of the game, I think it would benefit you if you started talking about the true reason of your visit.”

He picked up the rook and studied it. “I’ve always enjoyed a good game.” He smirked at the piece and turned back to Matska, holding it in his hand. “Did you know rooks have their power at the end of the game? It was a favorite tactic of mine. After all the pawns have been played, they overpower the Queen, that is, when there is two of them of course.”

“I think my mind and my mouth may have briefly disconnected because I don’t recall asking you for a lesson in chess.” Matska said. She was trying to change conversation before he could broach the topic of her sister. She had already lost one person because of the man, she wasn’t going to allow threats toward Mircalla.

“Too headstrong. You continue to ignore words of caution.” He placed the piece back on the board and stepped toward her. Each step he took had Matska tensing and slipped into a defensive pose as he stopped in front of her. Her nails, extended, were ready to scratch and stab and her fangs ready to bite and kill. “Rook. I do recall that as a name in which Lilita used to refer to you as.”

“You’ve had your fun. You’ve played your games. Tell me why you’re here!” Matska demanded and without realizing it, fell right into his trap. Her anxiety, as much as she tried to hide it, gave her away. That, and the way her eyes kept shifting to the door as if expecting someone to burst in at any moment.

“She isn’t going to come and try and kill you, this isn't an ambush, though, I can’t say the same about you trying to kill her.” She knew who he was talking about. Lilita. She wasn’t afraid of her but she knew the woman long enough to expect retaliation for her previous actions.

“Do you believe every word she tells you?” Matska asked.

“No, but she believes mine.”

Matska shook her head at the answer. “Your answer merely proves that she will be planning an attack. She would never trust your word.”

“She would if she thought she was getting an investment in your future.” He looked down at necklace and back up at her. “She came to me one day, a long time ago and asked me to make you forget. To turn you against that play thing of yours. To plant the idea in your head that maybe it was time to be rid of the thing.”

She flexed her fingers before clenching them back up. Attacking now would not be in her best interest even if past actions continued to anger her, to think of what was schemed against her. She buried it under layers of numbness and quiet seething. Her best choice now was defense. Listen and respond but keep distance.

“Clearly you didn’t pick that option so what made you choose this?” She reached up and held the gold pendant between her fingers.

“At the time, I was under crisis. A prophecy, of a kind, was about to come true. You were the best solution.” He said and gently smiled at her. Her stomach flipped in sickness. “You’re more valuable than you know.”

There was something in her tone that she knew, instantly, that his statement was no compliment. It was a warning. She could read between the lines as well as he could.

“How so?”

“While I won’t go into detail, I’m sure you know of death prophecies?” He asked.

Matska scoffed at the thought, “Yes and each one more ridiculous than the last.”

“That may be true but this one was more than any threat. It gave plenty of reason that it held the end to this world. To this life. To mine and to yours.”

“They said the same about the previous threats but what became of them? My feet still touch the same ground, my mouth eats the same food and I breath- wait, that did change but thankfully that was my being dead in general.” She smirked.

“Joking as a coping mechanism will only last you so long. You will eventually have to face the truth.” He said and sighed deeply. “The past death prophecies were of little belief but the last one concerned me. It worried me enough to enforce some barriers to prevent it from coming to truth. You are one of those barriers.”

“I’m a barrier?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

His words wiped the smile off her face. “Yes. When Lilita came to me to ask for my help dealing with your _romps_.” He smiled when a low growl tore from her throat. “Her words not mine. It was perfect timing. I dealt with my problem while Lilita thought she was getting you back to her side.”

“Does she know?” Matska asked, tapping the necklace. “That this is merely a precaution of yours?”

“No and it will stay that way.” His tone was enough to make her consider taking another step back. His eyes glowed gold before he shook his head, as if to stop himself before something else took over and they returned to their natural state. “Lilita knows that killing you would bring about a terrible consequence. One that would surely end her life too.”

“Enlighten me, how my necklace acts as this barrier for you? I watched Lilita put it together, I felt my heart being ripped from my chest. There were plenty more of these pieces in that drawer. Tell me how my heart in this necklace stops this prophecy from coming to light.” Matska said. She started to become annoyed with herself. It was a constant barrage of questions on her end to which she held no answers.

“I wrote that scripture Lilita read from when enacting the ritual, she got her wish and I stopped the prophecy.” He said the words as if they were nothing. As though her life was nothing.

“Why is it you are telling me of these things now?” Matska asked.

“You behave like a woman fit for the asylum not to mention your previous actions.” He ignored the smirk that lined her face while Matska left her mind briefly drift to thoughts of Lilita on the end of a very sharp knife. “I don’t wish for you to do something idiotic and leave me with one less barrier.”

“You mean to say that there is more than one?”

He laughed as if she had asked the most unintelligent question he had heard. “Of course there is more than one. You think I would place my entire trust in you? To keep my life safe and to stop this world from burning to the ground? I set up other precautions and no, you don’t need to hold vigilance as to how many or what form they take.”

She kept herself firmly rooted to her spot even when her body and mind were begging her to smack that smile off his face. He laughed at her ignorance to the situation but it made her question, where was her previous education in a matter that she didn’t know existed let alone concern her. She was learning everything from his words and the man continued to give her nothing but half-truth to the situation. There were no more questions to be asked in her opinion. She had learnt enough to piece together, whatever else she needed to know, alone.

Even when she yearned to learn more, she also couldn’t stomach the sight of him for one second longer and in the end, her loathing toward him won out. She accepted for fate. She couldn’t change or reverse it.

“What’s done is done.” Her voice was low and graveled as she spoke. “I do not wish to hear anymore and I want you to leave. Now.”

He didn’t argue, for which she was marginally thankful. Her patience was hanging by a thread and his refusal would push her over the edge. He strode toward the door, pausing right behind her while she stood staring ahead. She could feel his eyes burning into her and immersed the part of her that wanted to know his thoughts. Pity or disdain. She no longer cared.

She yearned to turn around and call him back to ask him more questions like as to why he truly traveled the great distance to tell her of these things? Was it another manipulation tactic or something even more sinister that he was laying a trap for? One other thing she wished to ask him about was another topic entirely.

She wanted to ask about Lolena but would not give him further satisfaction over her. It was her own abyss. That was a wound that was slow to heal. She thought about it for a second before pushing it from thought. Moving on was the best option. She had to completely surrender and let go and not allow anything from before affect her life now. She had eternity. It was time to let it heal over and try not to pick at the scar tissue.

 

* * *

 

 

She gasped as cold water splashed her face, waking her up and drenching her clothing. If it could even be called that. It was a brown rag thrown over her now, tiny and fragile frame. The only thing keeping her from direct cold contact with the stone floor at night. She was beginning to come around when another bucket of water was thrown, this time in her face. She coughed and spluttered out water as two pairs of hands dragged her up from the floor.

Her head lolled to the side in weakness. She had no strength left to keep herself upright. It had been too long since she had last eaten. She stopped counting after a week. Her only source of drink was poured on top of her.

She groaned as rough, calloused fingers grabbed her chin and turned her to look at them. Her blurred vision saw white and black before blinking Sister Abbess into focus. She spoke in Latin to the nuns holding her up and then looked back at her. She looked her up and down with a sneer. It was a change from the usual look of disgust and string of spit sent her way.

She had been brought back to the convent after the asylum. The nuns had been informed that she had been treated for her thoughts on supernatural but not her other words. The words which she was betrayed by, when she confided in a nun about her illicit love affair with a woman. She was sent back to the convent to be cured of that particular illness. The nuns having before ‘cured’ many girls of the same sickness.

The asylum had prescribed her a diet to follow and exercises to beat those thoughts from mind but her first step back in the convent had seen these things thrown away. The nuns had other methods. The same methods that either broke girls or saved them. She had seen the broken girls, on the courtyard when she was brought back, some too stricken to even function and others had been left alone, curled up in a heap.

She hadn’t meant to let slip about the supernatural. Wondering around for so long with nothing made her delirious and after a nun had shown her kindness and friendship, she confided in her when questioned on how she ran herself into the state she was in. That confession led her to where she was today.

They asked her many things about her ‘thoughts’ but her answer remained the same. They weren’t thoughts, they were memories. They didn’t believe her. They couldn’t believe that another woman would partake in such perverted actives. After that, she refused to speak. The only syllabus to pass her lips were that of cries of pain, when they would hit over a particular sensitive wound that had yet to heal from previous beatings.

Today was different. She knew it the moment her sight was clear and saw the whip in the Sister’s hand. She twisted her face out of the hold on her chin and gazed down. She caught a shining glimpse coming from it when the sun beamed in from the window. As she tried to examine it further, her face was turned the other way from a hard backhand slap. She hissed as pain and heat spread across her cheek. She could feel a wet trickle beginning to flow and as the nun pulled back, she saw the silver ring, tainted with blood, on her finger.

“I have wasted enough time on you but I will allow you one last chance. Do you deny your previous accusations?” Sister Abbess asked, making a show of gripping the top of the whip tightly.

She knew it wasn’t a threat. If she answered with the truth, she would be lashed and yet, she refused to allow the consideration of lying. Her love affair ended over a hundred years ago, she hadn’t told them that but with her previous talk of supernatural, she thought they had enough sense not to believe her words. Apparently not. It briefly occurred to her that maybe they did believe that insanity was the cause and were merely punishing for the sake of their religion.

If only they knew she had second hand information to the birth of their faith. One of the nuns gripped her arms tighter in their grasp, bringing her back to the present moment and trying to hurry her answer. She knew her answer. No matter what had transpired between them, she would never deny Matska. She couldn’t.

It was with that, that she looked Sister Abbess in the eye and said, “Feelings come and go within moments. My love lingered and en-wrapped itself in the form of a woman and if my love were so odious then why is it that it felt nothing but natural and worthy.” She continued on despite the gasps of shock from the nuns holding her, “Why is it then, that every moment I spent in her company, it felt like God was there with us and that every touch of her hand felt like he was guiding me into her and she into me. It was the most natural thing I felt in my entire life and I will not lie about it. God can judge me, not you.”

There was a brief moment of silence. She thought they finally may have listened to reason. Thought.

“Strip her.” Sister Abbess instructed.

They ripped the rag from her body, leaving her nude and threw it to the side.

Her hands covered herself up from their prying eyes, trying to maintain what dignity she had left.

“Our Lord wore a crown made of thorns.” Sister Abbess said, stepping forward. The light coming in the window finally allowed her to see the whip up close. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. “You will wear no such thing. He suffered for our sins and so shall you, his tears, from your sins, are reflected in the glass.”

As much as she tried, she couldn’t stop the ragged breath that escaped her throat or the shaking that racked her body. “Turn her to face the wall and put her hands into the clasps.”

One of the nuns approached toward her and turned her around. They pushed her slightly forward closer to wall and lifted one hand at a time, securing them in place with metal clasps. They swept her hair to the side, her red curls spilling over her shoulder and covering the top of her chest.

“Try and think of a better memory and lose yourself in that instead of the pain. It will pass time much faster.” The nun whispered in her ear.

She left her side and quickly regrouped with the other nuns. She willed herself to think of a memory. Any memory. She thought of the present and how she was standing here and not in the arms of the woman she previously described to the nuns as nothing but the very definition of love for her. That was the feeling though. She loved Matska but the woman never loved her. She lost herself in the memory of the first time she came to that realization just as the first lash of the whip reigned down upon her back.

 

* * *

 

 

_She hummed softly as fingers absentmindedly swept through her hair. She cuddled in closer to the woman’s side, nuzzling her face into Matska’s stomach. Watching how it briefly twitched with every puff of hot air that she breathed. The chaise, they were laying on, provided little space for room. Not that it was wanted. She was exactly where she wanted to be. A fur blanket covered their legs as the fire next to them roared and crackled, sending further heat out unto their already sweat soaked bodies. She looked up at Matska as the woman gazed down at her._

_She said nothing but pushed herself up Matska’s body and rested her head on her shoulder, wrapping an arm around Matska’s stomach and drawing circles there with the pads of her fingers. Matska’s hand left her hair and had thrown her arm across her shoulders, pulling her closer. They had been left alone the entire weekend. Lilita had left for an out of town visit. They didn’t care about any more details. They had a free weekend and they would use it to the best of their ability._

_That was until Lolena had gotten word from the rest of the maids that they were to keep close surveillance on Matska. Not to take Lilita’s words lightly, she found one of them listening outside Matska’s room. Her ear pressed tightly against the door. Lolena shooed her away and took over her duty. They didn’t care after that. The way they looked at it, it was better for her to be caught spying than them._

_It had her warning Matska that they had to remain quiet. Even with her warning to the other maids, she was sure one or two would be lurking about. It ended up being one of the best decisions she had made. There was something to be said to fuck without abandon but another thing entirely to slowly take time to worship each other’s body. Matska had been nothing but gentle in her touches, every touch producing quiet gasps of breath and pleading whispers. Matska looked at her entirely different, the entire atmosphere had shifted including their post-coital bliss._

_Matska allowed her to ask questions. Personal questions._

_She told her how she had come from the grasslands in Africa. Her death for which she briefly had to excuse herself to gather herself before returning and listening to the places she traveled. The people she had met. She laughed and silently cried with every recall of past events. Matska had to stop in her recount of the black death, how she had seen a mother out in the streets cradling her deceased infant son pleading for help, when Lolena broke down. To make up for the upset caused, she had gifted Lolena with one of her greatest possession’s, a book by William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet._

_She had gotten hold of a second draft and kept it locked away. She had seen the potential in it even if she wasn’t too fond of the story. It bored her and even worse, she had to suffer through Lolena reading it, in Matska's room, on her chaise, for the rest of the day. She eventually grew tired of baying for attention and had plucked the book from her hand and dropped it to the floor along with her robe._

_It brought them back to their current position, Lolena thought them like Romeo and Juliet but with a few changes. Two lovers both a like in rationalization, one a vampire and the other a human. The scene set in fair Austria. She smiled at the thought. It also reminded her of the two main characters and their love for one another, enough to die when they thought the other had joined the afterlife. She wondered how Matska saw their relationship. The book was exactly the stepping stone needed to test those waters._

_“Thank you for the book.” Lolena said, placing kisses upon Matska’s shoulder._

_“I allowed you to read it, it’s still a book I call my own.” Matska teased._

_“They loved each other, did they not?” Lolena asked and after a brief hum of acknowledgement from Matska, she followed it up, “Have you ever been in love, Matska?”_

_She felt Matska freeze and her muscles tense up at the question. She thought that she wasn’t going to receive an answer after a few minutes passed and a part of her wished she hadn’t._

_“Love..... isn’t a real thing. It’s an effort. Humans try and distort their minds into thinking it could be real but what actually happens is two people fall in lust and when it wears away, it’s merely an effort of staying together.” Her heart sank at the words. Was that all she was? How long before Matska fell out of lust with her and eventually threw her to the side?_

_“Why do you ask?” Matska asked, turning her head and looking her in the eye._

_“Curiosity.” She replied, chirpily but it hurt. She ducked under Matska’s chin, unable to look the woman in the eyes any longer. Her warm brown eyes would see  through her deceit._


End file.
